MEDJUGOJRE: MANY OF US WILL GO THROUGH THE “GREAT TRIBULATION”
The time in which the secrets of Medjugorje will be revealed is comparable, at least for some of them, to the “great tribulation” (Mt 24,21; Rev 3,10) that will strike the whole earth, involving at the same time the world and the Church. The third part of the secret of Fatima offers a dramatic representation of it, describing not only what we know from having lived it, but also what awaits us and that we cannot know. The long time of Mary’s presence finds a plausible explanation in the dangers that threaten humanity, as never before, and to fortify the Church in view of the decisive battle against the empire of darkness. There is no doubt that many of those who have responded to the call will have to go through the trial that looms ever more looming. After more than three decades since the revelation of the ten secrets to the visionary Mirjana, the theme is more relevant than ever. Humanity knows it is at risk and the fact that it is no longer able to control the future fills it with anxiety and anguish.
It would be reductive to look at Medjugorje with an exclusively devotional perspective, as if the problem were to add one more Marian shrine to those that already exist. The Queen of Peace is here to save humanity from a catastrophic drift. She said it from the beginning, introducing the practice of an extremely severe fast, two days a week on bread and water, to stop the spread of violence. In this long period of time the danger of self-destruction that looms over the human race has increased, together with the impotence to avert it. Our Lady is tireless in warning and exhorting. She knows better than we do what awaits us: “Dear children! Also today I call you: live your vocation in prayer. Now, as never before, Satan wants to suffocate man and his soul with his contagious wind of hatred and restlessness. In many hearts there is no joy because there is no God and no prayer. Hatred and war are growing day by day” (25-01-2015).
In the meantime, in these years, how many pilgrims have been “born into heaven” and have joined the immense multitude of the heavenly Jerusalem? We must not forget that the Mother of God has been here for such a long time, first of all to help her children to join her in glory. This is her primary goal, which she wanted to emphasize even when she decided to fulfill the promise of Fatima regarding the conversion of Russia: “I invite you to some renunciation for nine days, so that with your help everything that I want to accomplish according to the secrets begun in Fatima may be realized. I invite you, dear children, to understand the importance of my coming and the seriousness of the situation. I want to save all souls and present them to God. Therefore, let us pray that everything that I have begun may be fully realized” (25-09-2015).
The great eschatological battle now being fought is being fought on earth and has at stake the divine work of creation and redemption, but on the field there are also angels and saints on one side and demons and damned souls on the other. Our brothers, who have preceded us in heaven, will also be actively present with their prayers at the moment of the unleashing of evil, according to the Apocalypse: “We thank you, O Lord God Almighty, who are and who were and who are to come, because you have taken your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, but your wrath has come, and the time has come for the dead to be judged, and for your servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear your name, both small and great, to be rewarded, and for those who destroy the earth” (Rev 11:17-18). In the dramatic moment of the great deception and the unleashing of evil, no one will be a spectator, but all those who have answered the call will be protagonists in the battle and decisive for victory.
Only God, in His wisdom, knows who will have to go through “the great tribulation”. In this regard, the attitude we must have is to completely surrender to the will of Heaven. Our Lady recommends to us on several occasions not to be afraid of the future and to face it with the strength and hope of prayer. In fact, whatever happens, the Queen is present to face the dragon and defeat it. “Dear children, he who prays is not afraid of the future. Little children, do not forget: I am with you and I love you all” (25-06-2000). “Little children, he who prays is not afraid of the future and he who fasts is not afraid of evil. I repeat to you once again: only with prayer and fasting can even wars be stopped; the wars of your unbelief and fear for the future” (25-01-2001). Our Lady knows what hell is plotting to destroy the work of God and bring souls to eternal ruin.
The prudent Virgin watches and prepares in time the response to the assaults of the power of darkness. For her plan of salvation to be fully realized, she needs a full response from all those who have welcomed her and put themselves at her service. Among them, those who will have to pass through the “fiery furnace” have a special responsibility, where they will not be destroyed, but purified like gold in fire. The problem they must ask themselves is not “when, where and what will happen”, but how to arrive prepared for the decisive appointment. For this reason, in recent times the Madonna has particularly dedicated herself to the formation of her “apostles”, that is, those who have the task of bearing witness to the light when darkness gathers and of bringing peace and love when the destructive storm of hatred and violence rises.
If we look to the near future in the light of the third part of the secret of Fatima, of which Medjugorje is the extension, there is no doubt that the persecution of the Church, already underway for some time, will reach its peak. The triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a time of peace for the world will be obtained by the blood of the martyrs, thanks to which many souls will be saved. The risk we run today is the same as that of the apostles, in the decisive moment of the Passion, when the empire of darkness launched its final attack. Because of a faith that was still very imperfect and because they did not accept Jesus’ invitation to watch and pray, they were overwhelmed by the satanic storm. Only the infinite compassion of Jesus was able to save them. Likewise, those who, in this time of grace, have not strengthened their faith, risk wavering and retreating in the face of the possibility of martyrdom.
Resisting the hatred and violence of the forces of evil is only possible if you are clothed in the armor of God, as the apostle Paul teaches: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth; having put on the breastplate of righteousness; and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; and above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:13-17). Woe to those who will enter into the storm of trial without having taken advantage of the time of grace.
(Father Livio – The light in the storm – Ch 1 – Ed Piemme)
