In honor of the June 13 Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the children:

“I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, the Beginning and the End, saith the Lord God,

Who Is, and Who Was, and Who Is to Come, The Almighty.”   (Rev 1:8)

V2 – 7.4.99 – This morning, Jesus Renewed in me the pains of the crucifixion; our Queen Mama was also Present, and Jesus, Speaking of Her, said: “My Kingdom was In the Heart of My Mother, and this, because Her Heart was never disturbed even slightly; so much so, that in the Immense Sea of the Passion, She Suffered Immense Pains, and Her Heart was Pierced through by the Sword of Sorrow, but She did not receive the slightest breath of disturbance. Therefore, since My Kingdom is a Kingdom of Peace, I was able to Lay My Kingdom within Her, and to Reign Freely without any obstacle.”

V2 – 7.9.99 – After this, Heaven seemed to Open and a multitude of Saints Came Down, All Armed with Swords. A Voice like Thunder Came out from within that multitude, saying: “We Come to Defend the Justice of God, and to take Revenge on men, who have so much abused His Mercy!” Who can say what was happening on earth at this Descent of the Saints? I am only able to say that some were fighting in one place, some in another; some were fleeing, and some were hiding. It seemed that all were in dismay.

V3 – 7.30.00 – Luisa stops the Sword of Justice – I spent one night and one day being restless. From the very beginning I felt I was going outside of myself, without being able to find my Adorable Jesus; I could see nothing but things that struck terror and fright in me. I could see that a fire was flaring up in Italy, and another one had flared up in China, and little by little, uniting together, they were blending into one. In this fire I could see the king of Italy who had suddenly died by a trick, and this was the means to ignite and expand the fire. In sum, I could see a revolt, a tumult, a killing of people. After having seen these things, I felt I was inside myself and I felt my soul being tortured, to the point of feeling I was dying; more so, since I could not see my Adorable Jesus.

            Then, after much waiting, He made Himself Seen with a Sword in His Hand, in the Act of Throwing it over the people. All frightened, and made a little daring, I took the Sword in my hand, telling Him: ‘Lord, what are You doing? Don’t You see how many disasters will occur if You Throw this Sword? What grieves me the most is that I see that You are putting Italy in the middle. Ah, Lord, Placate Yourself, have Pity on your images! And if You say that You Love me, Spare me this bitter sorrow.’ And while saying this, I held on to that Sword as tightly as I could. Heaving a sigh, All Afflicted, Jesus said to me: “My daughter, let it go – let it fall upon the people, for I can take No More.” And I, holding it more tightly: ‘I cannot let it go, I do not have the heart to do it.’ And He: “Have I not told you many times that I AM Forced not to let you see anything, otherwise I AM not Free to do what I Want?” And while saying this, He Lowered His Arm with the Sword, and Placed Himself in the Act of Calming His Fury.

After a little while He Disappeared from me, and I was left with the fear that, who knows, without letting me see it, He might Pull the Sword away from me and Throw it over the people. Oh, God! What a heartbreak, the mere remembering!

V4 – 10.17.00  – A suffering soul and a most humble prayer make Jesus lose All His Strength, and Render Him so weak as to let Himself Be Bound by that soul. The Appearance of Justice – As my Adorable Jesus continued to Come, I seemed to see Him in Such Great Suffering as to arouse compassion. Throwing Himself into my arms, He said to me: “My daughter, Break the Fury of My Justice, otherwise….” At that moment, I seemed to see Divine Justice, Armed with Swords, with Darts of Fire, such as to Strike Terror; and also the Fortitude with which She can Act. All frightened, I said: ‘How can I Break Your Fury if I see You So Strong as to be able to Annihilate Heaven and earth in One simple Instant?’ And He: “Yet, a suffering soul and a most humble prayer make Me Lose All My Strength, and Render Me So Weak as to let Myself Be Bound by that soul as she pleases.” And I: ‘Ah, Lord, in what an ugly Appearance is Justice Showing Herself!’ And Jesus added: “She is Not Ugly; if you see Her Armed like this, it is because of men, but in Herself She is Good and Holy, Like My other Attributes, because there can not be even a shadow of evil in Me. It is True that Her Appearance seems Harsh, Piercing, Bitter, but Her Fruits are Sweet and Delicious.” Having said this, He Disappeared.

In Portugal the 13th of June is a great feast, the feast of St. Anthony of Lisbon, known to most Catholics as St. Anthony of Padua. This Franciscan miracle-worker was born in Lisbon and had entered religious life as a Canon Regular of the Holy Cross, residing first in Lisbon and then Coimbra, before leaving the Portuguese order for the new Order of Friars Minor and a hope of martyrdom. It was, and is, THE children’s feast in Portugal, so the parents of Lucia naturally thought that the festivities at the parish church in Fátima would distract her from the appointment at the Cova. However, undismayed by this tactic Lucia and the Marto children proceeded to the apparition site to keep their noon day rendezvous.

When they arrived they found a small crowd awaiting them.

After having said the rosary with Jacinta and Francisco and other people who were present, we saw again the reflection of light nearing us, (we used to say it was lightening), and following, Our Lady on the holm oak as in May.

“Please tell me, Madam, what it is that you want of me?”

I want you to come here on the thirteenth of next month. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. And after each one of the mysteries, my children, I want you to pray in this way: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins , save us from the fire of hell. Take all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need. I want you to learn to read and write, and later I will tell you what else I want of you.

“Will you take us to heaven?”

Yes, I shall take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart.

“Must I remain in the world alone?”

Not alone, my child, and you must not be sad. I will be with you always, and my Immaculate Heart will be your comfort and the way which will lead you to God.

The moment she said the last words, opening her hands, She transmitted to us, for the second time, the reflection of that intense light. In it we felt we were submerged in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light which was rising to Heaven, and I in the part spreading over the earth. In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a heart encircled with thorns which appeared to pierce it. We understood it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary offended by the sins of mankind, craving reparation.

The apparition then concluded as on the first occasion, with the Lady going off toward the east and disappearing in the “immensity of heaven.”

Despite the joy of those precious moments the sorrows of the children continued in the following weeks, moderated by the belief of very many at the Cova that day. They knew that something unusual had occurred – they saw the “lightening,” some perceived a certain dimming of the sun, others a little gray cloud that came and went as the apparition did and they believed. However, the difficulties with their families did not abate, especially with their mothers, who became genuinely alarmed that the events were not just continuing but expanding. To this was added the painful caution of the parish priest, that after all it might be real but of demonic origin.

Taken from:  https://www.ewtn.com/fatima/second-apparition-of-our-lady.asp

The 400-year-old Marian apparition that is particularly relevant today

The little-known apparition of Our Lady of Good Success includes some dire prophecies—but its fundamental message is one of hope, says apologist Matthew Arnold.

The statue of Our Lady of Good Success at the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito, Ecuador.

Southern California apologist Matthew Arnold, author and founder of the Catholic apologetics organization Pro Multis Media, has placed his apostolate under the patronage of Our Lady of Good Success, a little-known apparition of Mary to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres in Quito, Ecuador in 1594. Arnold, who has hosted radio programs for EWTN and the Radio Maria Network and who is the author of a forthcoming book on traditionalism in the Catholic Church, believes he is called to spread the message of this apparition and encourage devotion to the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Good Success.

Arnold previously worked in the entertainment industry before converting to the Catholic faith two decades ago. As a new convert he was initially uncomfortable with Marian apparitions, but took an interest in the apparitions at Quito, which were approved by the local bishop in 1611.

“Even though the apparition had occurred 400 years before, she had many interesting things to say about the Church of our day, such as a crisis of faith and morals in the Church and in the world,” Arnold said.

In the interest of spreading the message of Our Lady of Good Success, Arnold makes his presentation on the apparitions free of charge to parishes and other church groups, asking only for travel and lodging expenses. He also has a pamphlet outlining Our Lady’s message at Quito, available for free on his website.

Arnold returned in February from a pilgrimage to Quito, which he organized, and discussed his visit and the apparitions that inspired it with CWR.

CWR: What are the basic facts of the apparition of Our Lady of Good Success, and why is it important in 2017?

Matthew Arnold: In seven apparitions over 40 years beginning in 1594, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito, Ecuador.  Our Lady requested a statue be made of her as she appeared to Mother Mariana: holding the infant Jesus in her left arm and a crozier and keys in her right hand.

The presence of the Divine Infant was to remind people how powerful Mary is in bringing people to her son—“To Jesus, through Mary.” The keys and crozier were to symbolize Mary’s role as true and perpetual abbess of the convent.

The statue resides above the abbess’ chair in the upper choir of the convent church, except when it is displayed above the high altar during the months of May and October and during the yearly novena beginning January 24 leading up to her feast day, February 2, which is also the Feast of the Presentation, or Candlemas.

Our Lady also made many prophecies about the colony [Ecuador was under Spanish rule until the 19th century] and the Church, including a worldwide crisis of faith and morals in the Church and society that would begin in the 19th century and extend throughout the 20th century. She warned that there would be an almost total corruption of customs, and more.

However, Mary also offered a solution to the crisis, namely, devotion to her under the title Our Lady of Good Success. She prophesied that this devotion would not begin to become well-known until the end of the 20th century. She promised that precisely when it seems evil has triumphed, “this will mark the arrival of my hour, when I, in a marvelous way, will dethrone the proud and cursed Satan, trampling him under my feet.”

This is a pretty clear reference to Genesis 3:15 and, I believe, the self-same triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart promised centuries later at Fatima.

The Ecuadoran apparitions of Our Lady to Mother Mariana have been approved by the local bishop since 1611; the visionary, Mother Mariana, has been named “Servant of God” and the cause for her canonization is on-going; and the convent church was named an archdiocesan Marian sanctuary in 1991, making it an official place of pilgrimage.

CWR: In your years of studying the apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success, what have you learned?

Arnold: The prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success for our times are quite dire and, unfortunately, quite evident. By virtually every measurable standard, the Catholic Church has been in sharp decline almost everywhere in the world for decades, and many of Mary’s grim prophecies for our times are disturbingly accurate. It is common for various websites to concentrate on this sensational aspect.

However, the message of Mary of Good Success is not one of “doom and gloom”! On the contrary, it is a message of great hope and consolation; precisely because Our Lady did not prophesy the end of the world, but a marvelous restoration of what has been lost in the Church and the world.

CWR: Did Our Lady of Good Success make any special requests?

Arnold: Specifically, she asked that Catholics invoke her under the title of Our Lady of Good Success, because devotion to her under this invocation would be a great consolation to the faithful in these difficult times. She also promised her “good success” to all who would help to spread devotion to her under this title.

For more information visit www.matthewarnold.org or www.maryofgoodsuccess.org.