Christmas Season and Sunday Shopping

Christmas Season and Sunday Shopping
By John Vennari ~ http://www.cfnews.org/Sundays.htm

<“The Jews crucified Me on Friday, but Christians crucify Me on Sunday” - words of Our Lord to Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre, December 2, 1847

The time in which most Christmas shopping takes place is not really the Christmas Season, but the Advent Season. Christmas Season begins on the first Vespers of Christmas and continues to Epiphany; otherwise known as the Twelve Days of Christmas. This deformation of terminology brought about by modern commercialism reflects more of the pagan spirit rather than the true Catholic spirit as communicated by the Liturgical Year.

As we now enter a period of increased buying and selling, it is opportune to remind ourselves to be wary of another pagan practice rampant in the modern world: Sunday shopping.

This common profanation of Sunday, which only increases during the Christmas shopping season, should not be taken lightly. In the 19th Century, Heaven sent two dire warnings against this offense, making clear that Our Lord regards this as a serious sin deserving of severe chastisement.


The first warning came through Sister Marie de Sainte-Pierre, whom Our Lord revealed the Devotion to His Holy Face. The second came through Our Lady of La Salette. Both of these revelations from Heaven enjoy the full approval of the Catholic Church.

“The Holy Day of the Lord Profaned”



On Nov. 24, 1843, Our Lord said the following to Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre, a French Carmelite nun:



“The earth is covered with crimes. The violation of the first three Commandments of God has irritated My Father. The Holy Name of God blasphemed, and the Holy Day of the Lord profaned, fills up the measure of iniquities. These sins have risen unto the Throne of God and provoked His wrath which will soon burst forth if His justice be not appeased. At no time have these crimes reached such a pitch.”



Elsewhere, Our Lord complained to Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre of the massive amount of blasphemy taking place on earth. He said, “My Name is everywhere blasphemed. Even children blaspheme.”



Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre went on to explain, “Blasphemy is a poisoned arrow ever wounding His Divine Heart. He told me that He wishes to give me a Golden Arrow wherewith to wound His Heart delightfully and heal these wounds inflicted by the sinners’ malice.”

This is the origin of the popular prayer, The Golden Arrow, that Heaven wished Catholics to recite often:

“May the Most Holy, Most Sacred, Most Adorable, Most Mysterious and Unutterable Name of God be praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified, in Heaven, on earth, and in the hells, by all God’s creatures, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.”



Sister de Saint-Pierre said, “Our Lord having given me this Golden Arrow said, ‘avail yourself of this, for I shall demand an account from you.’.’ At that moment I beheld issuing from the Sacred Heart of Jesus pierced by this arrow a torrent of grace of sinners.”
Communion of Reparation for Profanation of Sunday



Along with this prayer in reparation for blasphemy, Our Lord told Sister de Saint-Pierre about the need to appease the Divine Justice aroused by reason of the desecration of Sunday. The heart of the message can be summarized in the following words of Sister de Saint-Pierre:



“... Our Lord commanded me to receive Holy Communion every Sunday for these three particular intentions:

1) In a spirit of atoning for all forbidden works done on Sunday, which as holy days are to be sanctified.


2) To appease Divine Justice which was on the very verge of striking on account of the profanation of holy days.


3) To implore the conversion of those sinners who desecrate Sundays,
- and to succeed in obtaining the cessation of forbidden Sunday Labor.

Our Lord asked for the establishment of a special Archconfraternity in reparation for blasphemy and profanation of work on Sunday. Our Lord Himself called this “the most beautiful work under the sun.” This Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was later approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.

Second and Third Commandments


For a quick review of the do’s and don’ts regarding the Second and Third Commandments, here is a quick summary of what we find in pre-Vatican II catechisms.

The Second Commandment is “Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain”.

It commands: reverence in speaking about God and holy things and the keeping of oaths and vows.
It forbids: blasphemy, the irreverent use of God’s name, speaking disrespectfully about holy things, false oaths and the breaking of vows.

The Third Commandment is: “Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day”.

It commands: going to church on Sundays and Holy Days.
It forbids: missing church through one’s own fault, unnecessary servile work; public buying and selling; court trials.

La Salette

Around the same time Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre received the Divine communications from Our Lord, Heaven sent another warning regarding sins against the Second and Third Commandments through Our Lady of La Salette.

On September 19, 1846, Our Lady appeared to the shepherd children Maximin and Melanie in La Salette; it was a confirmation of the messages Our Lord gave to Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre. Our Lady of La Salette warned of “the utter contempt (of man) for God’s Commandments, especially, She said, in the profanation of the Lord’s Day and the crime of blasphemy.” (That is, for sins against the Second and Third Commandments.)

Our Lady said, “If my people do not return to God by penance, I shall be forced to let fall the Hand of my Son, it now presses so heavily that I can scarce hold it any longer.”

Keep Sunday Holy

We see that Heaven does not take these sins lightly. Yet blasphemy is commonplace, particularly through the machinations of Hollywood. The profanation of Sunday is a way of life in modern United States, Canada and a great part of the once-Christian West.

Recently, I heard a sermon from a traditional priest against Sunday shopping in which he gave some helpful guidelines.

He said we should try to avoid all shopping on Sunday. Certainly, we should not make Sunday our day for grocery shopping. If we find that perhaps we are inadvertently caught on Sunday without something we absolutely need (including, as another priest said, unplanned visits from guests), then maybe we can go to the store for that item alone. He said we are not to use it as an opportunity to shop for other items we may need throughout the week.

Even this activity should be strictly curbed, he cautioned, because of the danger of scandal. People who know we are Catholic and who see us in a store on Sunday will conclude “well, he’s Catholic, and he shops on Sunday, so Sunday shopping is probably legitimate.”

In conclusion, let us remember the stern warnings from Our Lord to Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre and from Our Lady of La Salette, and let us avoid all Sunday shopping. Perhaps we could often recite the Golden Arrow, and begin the practice of the Communion of Reparation for Profanation of Sundays, given by Our Lord to Sister de Saint-Pierre, in reparation for the widespread desecration of Sunday that is the shame of our age.



- All quotes from Sister Marie de Sainte-Pierre come from The Life of Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre, an 1885 book written by Father Janvier, a great promoter of the Work of Reparation (English translation). It carries the 1881 Imprimatur of the Archbishop of Tours, France, Msgr. Colet. The book is out of print and extremely rare.

Click here for more on the Holy Face and the Revelations to Sister Marie de Sant Pierre

Reprinted from the December 2007 edition of

Catholic Family News

MPO Box 743 * Niagara Falls, NY 14302

905-871-6292 * http://www.cfnews.org/

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Legion of Mary

Legion of Mary

Do you want to learn more about the Catholic Faith?
Do you want to enrich your prayer life?
Do you want to develop closer Catholic friendships?
Do you want to grow closer to Jesus and His Mother?
Then come as a guest to a Legion of Mary meeting!
There’s no obligation and it may change your life.

Go to your local Traditional Roman Catholic Chapel for meeting schedules and places.

The Legion of Mary is an organization of Catholics ages 13 and older, who strive for the expansion, glory, and exultation of Holy Mother Church.

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OPENING PRAYERS
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Ghost, didst instruct the hearts of the faith faithful, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ Our Lord.

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips.
R. And my tongue shall announce Thy praise.
V. Incline unto my aid, O God.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, etc.
R. As it was in the beginning, etc.

Then follow Five Decades of the Rosary with the Hail! Holy Queen

V. Pray for us, O holy mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
O God, Whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

V. Most Sacred heart of Jesus R. Have mercy on us.
V. Immaculate Heart of Mary R. Pray for us.
V. St. Joseph R. Pray for us.
V. St. John the Evangelist R. Pray for us.
V. St. Louis Marie de Montfort R. Pray for us.

In the name of the Father, etc. (only during Legion Meetings)

CATENA LEGIONIS

Antiphon. – Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the Sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?

My soul + doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done great things for me, and holy is His name.
And His mercy is from generation from generations to them that fear Him.
He hath showed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel His servant: being mindful of His mercy.
As He spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his seed forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Antiphon. – Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the Sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?

V. O Mary conceived without sin.
R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ our Mediator with the Father, Who hast been pleased to appoint the Most Blessed Virgin, Thy Mother, to be our Mother also, and our Mediatrix with Thee, mercifully grant that whosoever comes to Thee seeking Thy favors may rejoice to receive all of them through her. Amen.

CONCLUDING PRAYERS

In the name of the Father, etc. (only during Legion Meetings)

We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our prayers in our necessities, but ever deliver us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

V. Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of all Graces
(or Invocation appropriate to Praesidium) R. Pray for us.
V. Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel R. Pray for us.
V. All ye Heavenly Powers, Mary’s
Legion of Angels R. Pray for us.
V. Saint John the Baptist R. Pray for us.
V. Saints Peter and Paul R. Pray for us.

Confer, O Lord, on us, who serve beneath the standard of Mary, that fullness of faith in Thee and trust in her, to which it is given to conquer the world. Grant us a lively faith, animated by charity, which will enable us to perform all our actions from the motive of pure love of Thee, and ever to see Thee and serve Thee in our neighbor; a faith, firm and immovable as a rock, through which we shall rest tranquil and steadfast amid the crosses, toils, and disappointments of life; a courageous faith which will inspire us to undertake and carry out without hesitation great things for God and for the salvation of souls; a faith which will be our Legion’s Pillar of Fire – to lead us forth united – to enkindle everywhere the fires of Divine Love – to enlighten those who are in the darkness and in the shadow of death – to inflame those who are lukewarm – to bring back life to those who are dead in sin; and which will guide our own feet in the Way of Peace, so that – the battle of life over – our Legion may reassemble, without the lost of any one, in the Kingdom of Thy Love and Glory.
May the souls of our departed Legionaries and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Words of Our Lord and Lady

Words of Our Lord and Lady

It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard once asked our Lord which was His greatest recorded suffering and that our Lord condescended to answer: "I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the way of sorrow, a most grievous wound which was more painful to Me than the others and which is not recorded by men because they knew not of it. Honour the Wound with devotion and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through its virtue and merits; and in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no more remember their mortal sins."

3 Paters (Our Fathers) 3 Aves (Hail Marys) 3 Glorias (Glory Bes)

SALUTION OF THE WOUND IN THE SHOULDER OF JESUS

O most loving Jesus, meekest Lamb of God, I, a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy flesh and laid bare Thy bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any wound of Thy most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful. I praise Thee, I bless The and glorify Thee and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and most painful Wound. Beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross, to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the way of the Cross.

INVOCATIONS

in honor of the Holy Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

May Be Said on the Rosary Beads

On the large beads:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of our souls. (300 days indulgence each time)

On the small beads:

My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Sacred Wounds. (300 days indulgence each time)

Sister Mary Martha Chambon, a humble lay Sister of the Visitation Order of Chambery, France, who died in the odor of sanctity, March 21st, 1907, received these two invocations from Our Lord Himself, as she affirmed, and with them a double MISSON to adore and invoke the Sacred Wounds unceasingly and to revive this devotion in the hearts of creatures.

We quote the Promises of Jesus to Sister Mary Martha Chambon, in favor of souls:-

"Come to My Wounds with hearts burning with love, and make the aspirations with great fervor that you may obtain the graces and favors you desire. Come to this Wound in My Side; it is the Wound of Love from which issues flames of fire."

"You must pray," said Jesus, "that the knowledge of My Sacred Wounds may spread in the world." As He said these words Sister Mary Martha saw five luminous rays of glory issue from the Wounds of Christ, and envelop the globe.

"With My Wounds and My Divine Heart you can obtain all you ask. My Wounds will cover all your faults. Those who honor them will have true knowledge of Jesus Christ."

"My Holy Wounds sanctify souls and insure their spiritual advancement ... Offer Me your actions untied to My Sacred Wounds, and even the smallest will have an incomprehensible value."

"Offer them often to Me for sinners because I thirst for souls. At each word of the invocation that you utter, I will let a drop of My Blood fall upon the soul of a sinner."

"I will grant all that is asked of Me through the invocation of My Holy Wounds. You must spread the devotion."

"When you are in trouble of suffering, have recourse at once to My Wounds, and the pain will be alleviated."

"This aspiration should often be repeated near the sick: My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds! This prayer will comfort soul and body. I desire," continued the Savoir, "that Priests should give it often to their penitents in the Holy Tribunal."

"A sinner who will often say the following prayer: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal the wounds of our souls, will obtain the grace of conversion." "The invocation of My Holy Wound will obtain an incessant victory for the Church."

"When you offer My Holy Wounds for sinners you must not forget to do so for the souls in Purgatory, as there are but a few who think of their relief. The Holy Wounds are the treasure of treasures for the souls in Purgatory." "The soul who during life has honored and studied the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and has offered them to the Eternal Father for the souls in Purgatory, will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the angels; and Our Lord on the Cross all brilliant in glory will receive her and crown her."

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IMPORTANCE OF THE MORNING OFFERING

Through this morning offering, every act that we perform becomes a sacrifice, because the word sacrifice means to make holy. All that we endure during the day to be good Catholic men and women becomes a penance. All these sacrifices and all these penances when offered through the morning offering, obtain graces for the conversion of sinners, obtain graces to free souls from Purgatory, and give strength to Holy Mother the Church. We must transform our actions and sufferings into prayers by offering to God through the hands of Mary Immaculate.

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MORNING OFFERING

O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary I offer Thee all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day. In union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. In reparation for all my sins, for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope, the poor souls in Purgatory, the conversion of sinners and Russia, and the reign of Thy Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart of Mary throughout the world. Amen.

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FOR THE KINGDOM OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
AND THE IMMACUALTE HEART OF MARY

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ST. BRIDGET PRAYER APOSTOLATE

The most Blessed Virgin Mary, after the Passion and death of Jesus, was unable to live one day without contemplating the sufferings and death of her Beloved Son and Our Lord Jesus Christ. With bitter anguish and tender compassion, the Mother of Sorrows daily reflected upon the Way of the Cross. By her pious example, Christians today are afforded the opportunity to honor the Passion and death of Our Lord, thus keeping company with Our Blessed Lady, through the 15 St. Bridget prayers. Those who wish to promote the prayers will be supporting an apostolate of such vital importance in today's world of sin and strife. Personal involvement in the apostolate produces unequaled rewards, both in this life and in the life to come.

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Our Lady, Light of the Heavenly Way

Daily guide for souls

1. Begin each day with the Morning Offering of Preparation through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that all we do and all that we endure may obtain graces for the conversion of sinners.

2. Participate at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, daily if possible, and receive nourichment for your soul in Holy Communion; for strength in these difficult times.

3. Pray the Rosary daily, imploring Mary's protection for yourself and your loved ones. Remember the unfortunate sinner, who may not have any one to pray for him.

4. Wear the garment of Heaven, the scapular; so that you may be a Child of Mary, protected by her heavenly mantle.

5. Pray daily to St. Michael; for he had been given great power by God to put to flight the demons who attach souls.

THE POSITIVE WAY... THE WAY OF LOVE... MARY'S WAY!

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LOVE OF THE CROSS

In the Cross is salvation, in the Cross is life, in the Cross is protection against our enemies, in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the Cross joy of spirit, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the Cross the perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of the soul, nor hope of everlasting life, but in the Cross. Take up therefore thy Cross and follow Jesus, and thou shalt go into everlasting life. He went before, bearing His Cross, and died for thee on the Cross; that thou also might bear they Cross and desire to die on the cross. For if thou be dead with Him, thou shall also in like manner live with Him. And if thou share His punishment, thou shall also share His glory. Behold! in the Cross all does consist, and in our dying, all lieth; for there is no other way unto life, and unto true inward peace, but the way of the holy Cross, and of daily mortification.

Thomas A. Kempis, from
THE IMITATION OF CHRIST.

Our Lady’s Message at La Salette

Our Lady’s Message at La Salette

Compiled by CFN (Catholic Family News)

“And so, My children, you will pass this on to all My people.”
Words of Our Lady of La Salette to Melanie and Maximin - Sept. 19, 1846

Editor’s Note: We present for the purpose of wide distribution a portion of the message of Our Lady of La Salette. This is taken from the booklet “Apparition of the Blessed Virgin at La Salette” and carries the 1879 Imprimatur of Bishop Zola of Lecce. What follows is a transcript, without commentary, of the original 1879 edition.

“Melanie, what I am about to tell you now will not always be a secret. You may make it public in 1858.

“The priests, ministers of My Son, the priests by their wicked lives, by their irreverence and their impiety in the celebration of the holy mysteries, by their love of money, their love of honors - and pleasures, the priests have become cesspools of impurity. Yes, the priests are asking for vengeance, and now vengeance is hanging over their heads. Woe to the priests and to those dedicated to God who by their unfaithfulness and their wicked lives are crucifying My Son again! The sins of those dedicated to God cry out towards Heaven and call or vengeance, and now is at their door, for there no one left to beg mercy and forgiveness for the people. There are no more generous souls, there is no one worthy of offering a stainless sacrifice to the Eternal for the sake of the world.

“God will strike in an unprecedented way. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! God will exhaust His wrath upon them, and no one will be able to escape so many afflictions together.

“The chiefs, the leaders of the people of God have neglected prayer and penance, and the devil has bedimmed their intelligence. They have become wandering stars, which the old devil will drag along with his tail to make them perish. God will allow the old serpent to cause divisions in every society and in every family. Physical and moral agonies will be suffered. God will abandon mankind to itself and will send punishment which will follow one after the other for more than thirty-five years.

“The Society of men is on the eve of the most terrible scourges and gravest events. Men must expect to be ruled with an iron rod and to drink from the chalice of the wrath of God.

“May the curate of My Son, Pope Pius IX never leave Rome again after 1859; may he, however be steadfast and noble, may he fight with the weapons of faith and love. I will be at his side. May he be on guard against Napoleon, he is two-faced and wishes to be Pope as well as Emperor, God will soon draw back from him. He is the mastermind who, always wanting to ascend further, will fall on the sword he wished to use to force his people to be raised up.

“Italy will be punished for her ambition in wanting to throw off the yoke of the Lord of Lords. And so she will be left to fight in war; blood will flow on all sides. Churches will be locked up or desecrated. Priests and religious orders will be hunted down, and made to die cruel death. Several will abandon the faith; and a great deal of priests and members of religious orders will break away from the true religion; among these people there will even be bishops.

“May the Pope guard against the performers of miracles. For the time has come when the most astonishing wonders will take place on the earth and in the air.

“In the year 1864, Lucifer together with a large number of demons will be unloosed from hell; they will put an end to faith little by little, even in those dedicated to God. They will blind them in such a way, that, unless they are blessed with a special grace, these people will take on the spirit of these angels of hell; several religious institutions will lose all faith and will lose many souls.

“Evil books will be abundant on the earth, and the spirits of darkness will spread a universal slackening in all that concerns the service of God. They will have great power over nature; there will be churches built to serve these spirits. People will be transported from one place to another by these evil spirits, even priests, for they have not been guided by the good spirit of the Gospel which is a spirit of humility, charity and zeal for the glory of God. On occasions, the dead and the righteous will be brought back to life.1

“Everywhere there will be extraordinary wonders, as the true Faith has faded and false light brightens the people. Woe to the Princes of the Church who think only of piling riches upon riches to protect their authority and to dominate with pride.

“The Vicar of My Son will suffer a great deal, because for a while the Church will yield to large persecution and a time of darkness, and the Church will witness a frightful crisis.

“The true Faith to the Lord having been forgotten, each individual will want to be on his own and be superior to people of the same identity, they will abolish civil rights as well as ecclesiastical, all order and justice will be trampled down under-foot and only homicides, hate, jealous, lies and dissension would be seen without love for country or family.

“The Holy Father will suffer a great deal. I will be with him until the end and receive his sacrifice.

“The mischievous would attempt his life several times to do harm and shorten his days but neither him nor his successor will see the triumph of the Church of God.

“All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds.

"In the year 1865, there will be desecration of holy places. In convents, the flowers of the Church will decompose and the devil will make himself King of all hearts. May those in charge of religious communities be on their guard against the people they must receive, for the devil will resort to all his evil tricks to introduce sinners into religious orders, for disorder and the love of carnal pleasures will be spread all over the earth.

“France, Italy, Spain and England will be at war. Blood will flow in the streets. Frenchmen will fight Frenchmen, Italian will fight Italian. A general war will follow which will be appalling. For a time, God will cease to remember France and Italy because the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been forgotten. The wicked will make use of all their evil ways. Men will kill each other, massacre each other even in their own homes.

“At the first blow of His thundering sword, the mountains and all Nature will tremble in terror, for the disorders and crimes of men have pierced the vault of the heavens. Paris will burn and Marseille will be engulfed. Several cities will be shaken down and swallowed up by earthquakes. People will believe that all is lost. Nothing will be seen but murder, nothing will be heard but the clash of arms and blasphemy.

“The righteous will suffer greatly. Their prayers, their penances and their tears will rise up to Heaven and all of God’s people will beg for forgiveness and mercy and will plead for My help and intercession. And then Jesus Christ, in an act of His justice and His great mercy will command His Angels to have all His enemies put to death. Suddenly, the persecutors of the church of Jesus Christ and all those given over to sin will perish and the earth will become desert-like. And then peace will be made, and man will be reconciled with God. Jesus Christ will be served, worshiped and glorified. Charity will flourish everywhere. The new kings will be the right arm of the holy Church, which will be strong, humble, pious in It’s poor but fervent imitation of the virtues of Jesus Christ. The Gospel will be preached everywhere and mankind will make great progress in the faith, for there will be unity among the workers of Jesus Christ and man will live in fear of God.

“This peace among men will be short-lived. Twenty-five years of plentiful harvests will make them forget that the sins of men are the cause of all the troubles on this earth.

“A forerunner of the Antichrist, with his troops gathered from several nations, will fight against the true Christ, the only Savoir of the world. He will shed much blood and will want to annihilate the worship of God to make himself looked upon as a God.

“The earth will be struck by calamities of all kinds (in addition to plague and famine which will be widespread). There will be a series of wars until the last war, which will then be fought by the ten Kings of the Antichrist, all of whom will have one and the same plan and will be the only rulers of the world. Before this comes to pass, there will be a kind of false peace in the world. People will think of nothing but amusement. The wicked will give themselves over to all kinds of sin. But the children of the holy Church, the children of My faith, My true followers, they will grow in their love of God and in all the virtues most precious to Me. Blessed are the souls humbly guided by the Holy Ghost! I shall fight at their side until they reach a fullness of years.

“Nature is asking for vengeance because of man, and she trembles with dread at what must happen to the earth stained with crime. Tremble, earth, and you who proclaim yourselves as serving Jesus Christ and who, on the inside, only adore yourselves, tremble for God will hand you over to His enemy, because the holy places are in a state of corruption. Many convents are no longer houses of God, but the gazing grounds of Asmodeas and his like. It will be during this time that the Antichrist will be born of a false Hebrew nun, a false virgin who will communicate with the old serpent, the master of impurity, his father will be B. At birth, he will spew out blasphemy; he will have teeth, in a word, he will be the devil incarnate. He will scream horribly, he will feed on nothing but impurity. He will have brothers who, although not devils incarnate like him, will be children of evil. At the age of twelve, they will draw attention upon themselves by the gallant victories they will have won; soon they will each lead armies, aided by the legions of hell.

“The seasons will be altered, the earth will produce nothing but bad fruit, the stars will lose their regular motions, the moon will only reflect a faint reddish glow. Water and fire will give the earth’s globe convulsions and terrible earthquakes which will swallow up mountains, cities, etc…

“Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.

“The demons of the air together with the Antichrist will perform great wonders on earth and in the atmosphere, and men will become more and more perverted. God will take care of his faithful servants and men of good will. The Gospel will be preached everywhere, and all get to know the truth.

“I make an urgent appeal to the earth. I call on the true disciples of the living God who reigns in Heaven; I call upon the true followers of Christ made man, the only true Savior of men; I call on My children, the true faithful, those who have given themselves to Me so that I may lead them to My Divine Son, those whom I carry in My arms, so to speak, those who have lived on My spirit. Finally, I call upon the Apostles of the Last Days, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who have lived in scorn for the world and for themselves, in poverty and in humility, in scorn and in silence, in prayer and in mortification, in chastity and in union with God, in suffering and unknown to the world. It is time they came out and filled the world with light. Go and reveal yourselves to be My cherished children. I am at your side and within you, provided your faith is the light that shines upon you in these unhappy days. May your zeal make you famished for the glory and the honor of Jesus Christ. Fight, children of the light, you, the few who can see. For now is the time of all times, the end of all ends.

“The Church will be in eclipse, the world will be in dismay. But now Enoch and Eli will come, filled with the spirit of God. They will preach with the might of God, and men of good will will believe in God, and many souls will be comforted. They will make great steps forward through the virtue of the Holy Ghost and will condemn the devilish lapses of the Antichrist. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! There will be bloody wars and famines, plagues and infectious diseases. It will rain with a fearful hail of animals. There will be thunderstorms which will shake cities earthquakes which will swallow up countries. Voices will be heard in the air. Men will beat their heads against walls, call for their death, and on another side death will be their torment. Blood will flow on all sides. Who will be the victor if God does not shorten the length of the test? All the blood, the tears and the prayers of the righteous, God will relent. Enoch and Eli will be put to death. Pagan Rome will disappear. The fire of Heaven will fall and consume three cities. All the universe will be struck with terror and many will let themselves be led astray because they have not worshipped the true Christ who lives among them. It is time; the sun is darkening; only faith will survive.

“Now is the time; the abyss is opening. Here is the King of Kings of darkness, here is the Beast with his subjects, calling himself the savior of the world. He will rise proudly into the air to go to heaven. He will be smothered by the breath of the Archangel Saint Michael. He will fall, and the earth, which will have been in a continuous series of evolutions for three days, will open up its fiery bowels; and he will have plunged for eternity with all his followers into the everlasting chasm of hell. And then the water and fire will purge the earth and consume all the works of men’s pride and all will be renewed. God will be served and glorified.”

Note: 1. In a letter to Father Combe, dated October 7, 1899, Melanie corrects these words in parenthesis which are her own, she says, and which she judges to be unclear and inaccurate. “That it to say”, she writes, “that in those days, which only seem like twenty years ago, some perverted people (Italian: malvages) had given themselves over to devotion to the demon of magic. These people would cause to appear in the eyes of the curious, acquainted and theirs who had not led a Christian way of life. These supposedly resurrected individuals appeared in heavenly glory. People known to have lived in the fear of God appeared to be in horrible suffering and urged their friends and acquaintances not to follow in their footsteps, and they preached a Gospel opposed to that of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that these bizarre occurrences may be out down to the fashion for spiritualistic evocations and demoniac practices which no doubt will one day be brought to light through a thorough examination of Luciferian archives of Freemasonry.” - In the same letter, Melanie takes care to explain that where it is said that people will be transported from one place to another, it must be understood as to be in rare cases only.