Apparitions of Mary

[Gabriel_of_12]

No oxygen for more than 5 minutes! Call me skeptical.

I know it is a miracle, I cant explain it either, but during my reflection hour, I noticed the hour when I began, upon entering my meditation and reflection, the when I came to and my wife came to my aid, for I stopped breathing the hour was half passed. Dont figure? how God works, in mysterious ways? How about the man who grew his hand back? talk about suspending logic, but then that is why we call them miracles. Have you ever experienced one?

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

Honestly as a relatively new Catholic I have major issues with most things Marian. It doesn’t help that I live in the Southwest; 99% of the Catholics I’ve ever known were Hispanic and they honestly seem to have a much deeper devotion to Our Lady than non-Hispanic Catholics I know. Some seem to cross the line from veneration to adoration, IMHO. You will see more images of Mary in the SW than you will ever see of Jesus, and honestly it still kind of disturbs me. Anyone remember Jesus? is what I always feel like asking.

Hi jfallaw,

As my Catholic faith deepens, so does my affection for Mary. My opinion is that those Hispanics are good Catholics, and you will learn from them.

I can’t imagine my house without a picture of Mary in it. In fact, I even have a marble carving of Mary in my garden! I never realised how many marian artifacts I have in (and around) my house until one day I looked closely and thought “oh no, I’ve become my parents”. My parents have pictures and statues of Mary (and others incl Jesus) all over their house. I wasn’t brainwashed into loving Mary; It just came naturally as I studied and researched and lived my Catholic faith.

You say you’ree “a relatively new Catholic”; It won’t be long before you see the hidden beauty in marian art and you’re house will be decorated with them. I’m willing to place a bet on that.

---

Back to the original subject; I’m fascinated with Fatima, Lourdes and Guadalupe. The others really don’t intrigue me at all.

 

[jfallaw]

Hi jfallaw,

As my Catholic faith deepens, so does my affection for Mary. My opinion is that those Hispanics are good Catholics, and you will learn from them.

I can’t imagine my house without a picture of Mary in it. In fact, I even have a marble carving of Mary in my garden! I never realised how many marian artifacts I have in (and around) my house until one day I looked closely and thought “oh no, I’ve become my parents”. My parents have pictures and statues of Mary (and others incl Jesus) all over their house. I wasn’t brainwashed into loving Mary; It just came naturally as I studied and researched and lived my Catholic faith.

You say you’ree “a relatively new Catholic”; It won’t be long before you see the hidden beauty in marian art and you’re house will be decorated with them. I’m willing to place a bet on that.

---

Back to the original subject; I’m fascinated with Fatima, Lourdes and Guadalupe. The others really don’t intrigue me at all.

Thanks!

 

[1234]

Honestly as a relatively new Catholic I have major issues with most things Marian. It doesn’t help that I live in the Southwest; 99% of the Catholics I’ve ever known were Hispanic and they honestly seem to have a much deeper devotion to Our Lady than non-Hispanic Catholics I know. Some seem to cross the line from veneration to adoration, IMHO. You will see more images of Mary in the SW than you will ever see of Jesus, and honestly it still kind of disturbs me. Anyone remember Jesus? is what I always feel like asking.

Guad here, Guad there, Guad everywhere

I like Guad, but I don’t take her seriously…

 

[1234]

Well, this is the Non-Catholic part of this forum so I’m going to post…

There are characteristics of the Marian visions and visions in general which make me doubt them.

Mary tends to appear to girls and children. No recent visions of Mary to men. Why not?

Mary tends to have appeared in areas with a lot of contention between a powerful church and a powerful stat AND in a remote location–in Portugal (Fatima) in the boonies, not Lisbon, and in Lourdes, France, not Paris.

JESUS has appeared to young or middle-aged nuns, often in contexts which are highly charged with eroticism–sorry, folks, but the visions of St. Teresa of Jesus and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and St. Faustina have more than a little of the erotic in them.

The ‘miracles’ tend to die out in time and/or to be poorly documented. There a lot of pilgrims to St. Mary of Walsingham, famous for cures in the middle ages, but not now. Why not? Are the miracles at Lourdes well-ducumented with modern medicine–CAT scans, MRI’s, lab work, pathology? Anyone grown an arm or leg back yet? Anyone, like Lazarus, risen from the dead?

 

[Antegin]

Belief in ANY apparition of the Blessed Mother is not necessary for Salvation. The fullness of the Word was in the person of Jesus. What Tradition and the apparitions that are authenticated later do is reinforce and maybe give a more contemporary understanding of fundamental truths recieved 2000 years ago.

A comment was made that Latinos seem more dedicated to the Blessed Mother than even other Catholics. Historically, there is a reason for that.

Latin America was colonized by the Spanish who pretty much shoved Catholicism down the throats of the native populations of Central and South America along with slavery, destitution and other indignaties that in todays world would constitute crimes against humanity. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the native populace were relagated to second class status in a faith that taught love and salvation for all through Jesus.

Heaven responded to the injustice by sending the Blessed Mother to an Indian named Juan Diego. She appeared as a pregnant-with- the-Word-teen-aged Indian princess. Our Lady of Guadelupe did not provide new revelation, Jesus is the fullness of Revelation. Instead, God made the Revelation Jesus brought into the world available to the downtrodden unwed mothers and indigionous peoples.

Marion devotion is not a requirement of Salvation, but I can not think a one single other person who knows better the Heart of Revelation, the Heart of the Word, or the way to that Salvation He offers.

 

[Kristine1957]

I have heard of statues crying real tears or another one in Bolivia (I think) where there is one of Christ and he is bleeding is this for real? Or how does the Vatican react to this?

 

[Antegin]

I have heard of statues crying real tears or another one in Bolivia (I think) where there is one of Christ and he is bleeding is this for real? Or how does the Vatican react to this?

Typically, the Church will send in a team of scientists and theologians. They will first rule out natural causes of the phenomenon, then fruadulent causes, then in the case of visions and messages received frm apparitions, the theology will be examined exhaustively for error and relavance. If there are no natural causes, no evidence of human tampering and no errors being spread…

Most apparitions don’t get beyond this point. Those that do, Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, develope large followings that continue until the present. While these private devotions usually are very relavant to that time or a specific circumstance, they do not present new revelation. Jesus was the fullness of Revelation. The Blessed Mother and the Angels may bring a contemporary understanding of that Revelation into that time or setting but it is still the same Word.

 

[paarsurrey]

I have heard of statues crying real tears or another one in Bolivia (I think) where there is one of Christ and he is bleeding is this for real? Or how does the Vatican react to this?

Hi

This is all superstition, I think.

I love Jesus and Mary

Thanks

 

[dolphinlove]

Hi

This is all superstition, I think.

I love Jesus and Mary

Thanks

Its not superstition Paars.
These encounters have been studied meticulously by the Catholic church and a lot of them have been found to be true.
Which means they are not superstitious.

 

[Kristine1957]

In your opinion why do you think Our Lady is appearing? I just wonder why she is crying?
I hear of people who have a special relationship with the Blessed Mother but I don’t know where to start any ideas?

God Bless

 

[Righteousone]

Our Lady is appearing in Medjugorgie, Yugoslavia for 25 years. There have been millions of converts to the Catholic faith b/c of this.
Sixty-one year old Fr. Petar is the priest who will read and announce three of the ten secrets given by the Virgin Mary as warnings and admonitions for the world. The three secrets will be pre-released, one by one, from mirjana, the visionary who has seen the Virgin. She will read them first to Fr. Petar and then he will read them to the world three days before they actually happen.
There will be short intervals between the first, second and third secrets.
The world is on the verge of receiving a warning which many believe is to be of great severity causing anguish or pain, perhaps like a mini judgement showing us the fullness of our sins and how we offended God, experienced interiorly and physically, burning us like a fire yet not consuming us or causing death.
But worse than death.
But through this, the consciousness of the world will be corrected and many believers and non-believers will come to love God more.
Secondly a great miraculous sign will be given directly from the hand of God for the whole world, and thirdly, for those who have not converted, a purification. We do not know the order in which each one will happen.
We know the state of the world’s morality, in just the last decades, has fallen completely into a biblical context such as in the past when man’s actions resulted in God’s actions manifesting in a complete correction in the conscious of man.
It is without doubt that we are about to be corrected.
When all past civilizations had arrived at the point we have already arrived at in our time, they were renewed through purification and what could not be purified was destroyed.
What has happened in the past will repeat itself in the future. The three parralels-----Secular history, biblical history, and natural law supports the “given” that history repeats itself. All three parellels blend into union on this point.

Please remmber I have said this. These are true statements from Mirjana herself.

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

Our Lady is appearing in Medjugorgie, Yugoslavia for 25 years. There have been millions of converts to the Catholic faith b/c of this.
Sixty-one year old Fr. Petar is the priest who will read and announce three of the ten secrets given by the Virgin Mary as warnings and admonitions for the world. The three secrets will be pre-released, one by one, from mirjana, the visionary who has seen the Virgin. She will read them first to Fr. Petar and then he will read them to the world three days before they actually happen.
There will be short intervals between the first, second and third secrets.
The world is on the verge of receiving a warning which many believe is to be of great severity causing anguish or pain, perhaps like a mini judgement showing us the fullness of our sins and how we offended God, experienced interiorly and physically, burning us like a fire yet not consuming us or causing death.
But worse than death.
But through this, the consciousness of the world will be corrected and many believers and non-believers will come to love God more.
Secondly a great miraculous sign will be given directly from the hand of God for the whole world, and thirdly, for those who have not converted, a purification. We do not know the order in which each one will happen.
We know the state of the world’s morality, in just the last decades, has fallen completely into a biblical context such as in the past when man’s actions resulted in God’s actions manifesting in a complete correction in the conscious of man.
It is without doubt that we are about to be corrected.
When all past civilizations had arrived at the point we have already arrived at in our time, they were renewed through purification and what could not be purified was destroyed.
What has happened in the past will repeat itself in the future. The three parralels-----Secular history, biblical history, and natural law supports the “given” that history repeats itself. All three parellels blend into union on this point.

Please remmber I have said this. These are true statements from Mirjana herself.

I hate it when people scare us into believing Marian Apparitions. I’m not intrigued by Medjugorgie at all.

 

[Righteousone]

No one is scaring you Charlie, unless it is fear you already have.
These are facts given to Mirjana, i am only relaying what she has said of the Blessed Virgin.
How do you know it isn’t true Charlie?

 

[Righteousone]

Furthermore, Mr. Zeiter, I have visited Medjugorgie and there really is something happening there. One must visit to comment on this miraculous place.

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

No one is scaring you Charlie, unless it is fear you already have.
These are facts given to Mirjana, i am only relaying what she has said of the Blessed Virgin.
How do you know it isn’t true Charlie?

Hi again,

Firstly, of course I have fear. But it has nothing to do with Medjugorgie.

Secondly, there have been too many fake Marian Apparitions, so I automatically treat them with contempt.

And thirdly, while I don’t doubt the sincerity of the visionaries, I haven’t seen any evidence from Medjugorgie that is remotely intriguing as the evidence from Lourdes, Fatima and Gaudalupe.

 

[Righteousone]

Hi again,

Firstly, of course I have fear. But it has nothing to do with Medjugorgie.

Secondly, there have been too many fake Marian Apparitions, so I automatically treat them with contempt.

And thirdly, I haven’t seen any evidence from Medjugorgie that is remotely intriguing as the evidence from Lourdes, Fatima and Gaudalupe.

Yes, I also agree with you. The church cannot do anything about them if they are real b/c she is still appearing there. Once she has stopped, then the church can research it. But it is scary to think that Mirjana actually heard all this from Our Lady. What if it is true, then what? I was there and it is very holy. I think it is a miracle b/c atheists, Protestants, etc…have converted to Catholicism. Why would they if something hadn’t happened to them? The book out by Protestant turned Catholic Wayne Weible went there with much doubt. Came back a Catholic and wrote a book about his experiences there.
There must be something there with millions of people converting each day. Don’t you think?
There is a gigantic statue of Christ that oozes oil from it’s leg non stoppable. Scientists cannot figure out where it is coming from.

 

[Righteousone]

Where have you heard of ‘fake’ apparitions? Where were they?

 

[RebeccaJ]

In your opinion why do you think Our Lady is appearing? I just wonder why she is crying?
I hear of people who have a special relationship with the Blessed Mother but I don’t know where to start any ideas?

God Bless

Hi Kristine, pray the Rosary. Visit your parish, during the week, light a candle and pray with her.

 

[Righteousone]

In your opinion why do you think Our Lady is appearing? I just wonder why she is crying?
I hear of people who have a special relationship with the Blessed Mother but I don’t know where to start any ideas?

God Bless

Yes, why don’t you buy books about her apparitions…I have several. That will keep you close to her.