+ Exaltation of the Holy Cross +
Genesis 1:14: “And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day and the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
“There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars.” (Luke 21:25)
The Internet is ablaze with news of the rare celestial event that will appear Sept. 23-25 of this year — a one-time configuration of stars and planets in the constellation Virgo (the Virgin) never seen in the 7,000 years of man’s history, by some accounts. On Sept. 16 the sun will enter that constellation. This week we had/have these feasts: Sept. 12, the Most Holy Name of Mary; Sept. 13, the anniversary of the fifth apparition at Fatima; the feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Sept. 14) and Our Lady of Sorrows (Sept. 15). Sept. 19 is the 171st anniversary of her appearance at La Salette. As a sky map (available on the Internet) shows for Sept. 23-25, the Virgin “stands” on the moon. Twelve stars will surround her head (nine of them stars in the proper sense and the other three the planets, Venus, Mercury, and Mars). On Sept. 23 the sun will be behind her. Beneath the feet of the woman can be found the serpent constellation, Hydra. The planet Jupiter will have spent 9.5 months (42 weeks) within Virgo’s womb, and will emerge Sept. 23-25. (Sept. 24 is the feast of Our Lady of Ransom. Sept. 22-23 are ember days.) This is precisely the description of events given by St. John in Apocalypse 12:1-5. But what does it all mean?
Protestants, reading the Apocalypse chronologically, believe it is the time of the rapture and the final judgment. Others believe it signals the advent of the “Tribulation” lasting seven years. Both of these interpretations are rejected by Catholic biblical scholars. Protestants also identify the son Our Lady gives birth to, snatched up to Heaven to God’s throne, as Our Lord; and many of them think this could signify the Second Coming. They believe this because according to Internet sources, Jupiter is known as the King planet and Jupiter also was considered by the Jews to be the planet of the Messiah. While Christ, of course, could come at any time to judge the world, most of those identifying themselves as Catholic do not believe this will occur unless the Church is first restored. Most Traditionalists believe, or at least it appears they believe, that Antichrist’s coming is yet in the future and they live in the latter, not the last days. Novus Ordo “catholics” and Protestants also believe his coming lies in the future, and that somehow this September configuration will either trigger events preceding his appearance and/or result in the expected rapture.
But those outside the mainstream must think according to the teachings of the Church. It is curious that prior to birth, all is dark inside the womb; perhaps there will be a period of darkness before Jupiter is actually “born.” It could be possible that during these particular three days mentioned (Sept. 23, 24, 25) the earth may experience the three days of darkness foretold in so many prophecies regarding the latter days. This is gone into in great length by several holy seers, among them Marie Julie Jahenny, Ven. Anna Maria Taigi, Mother Maria Rafols, Anne Catherine Emmerich and others. Only after this event will the world be purged of the evils currently afflicting it. Therefore, the birth of Jupiter may have some reference to the reign of Christ the King following this cleansing purge. Is it a certainty? No, but it is a possibility. Those working for Satan are planning just such a purge themselves and have been for many decades. It is possible that whatever they are engineering will backfire and destroy the evil, not the good. However, I believe it is more likely that this sign is merely a warning and a harbinger of what is to come There was another strikingly similar reference to sky signs and darkness in the Guadalupe apparitions, so this is not an isolated incidence. And it seems to point more to a possible visitation of some kind than anything else.
What was it about Our Lady’s image that spoke so clearly to the Aztecs of the 1500s, compelling them to convert? They identified her image with an ancient Indian tradition about their primary god, Quetzalcoatl, to whom they had erected the largest of Mexico’s pyramids, and at its summit a great temple for his worship. The tradition related how at one time there had been a “long night,” when the sun did not shine for four days, a time when many people perished during the mysterious darkness. (Some attribute this to the violent eruption of a volcano and the deaths from its subsequent toxic gases.) Afterwards, according to legend, a crescent-shaped, serpent-like body with colored markings had appeared in the sky and later transformed itself into a brilliant star, (Our Lady Comes to America, Raphael Grashoff, C. P., 1957). Our Lady of Guadalupe is adorned with the stars as they were positioned in the sky the day she appeared to Juan Diego, and this is very like the configuration in the sky predicted for Sept. 23-25.
At the time Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, The Boreal Crown of stars is above her head (Apocalypse 12:1, a crown of 12 stars), Virgo hovers near her hands folded over her chest (she is a virgin) and Leo, Lion of the tribe of Judah is below the maternity belt above her womb: She is bearing the King of Kings. The upper part of her cloak is covered with stars, but the star Sirius, identified by some as the Star of Bethlehem (but also worshipped by the Freemasons), is at the bottom of her robe near her feet, just as it is in the Fatima apparitions. (Sirius is one of the stars in the Orion “winter triangle.”) Mary stands super imposed by the Southern Cross, with the constellation Ophiucus just over her left shoulder: Ophiucus the Dark Rift, the serpent bearer and the 13th house of the zodiac. The moon, of course, is under her feet.
Catholics must remember that all the apparitions of Our Lady were intended to console, make requests, warn and/or to convert. These celestial signs help determine the type of message Our Lady wishes to convey. The two references to Fatima, the star and the number 13, link Guadalupe to Fatima. At the time Our Lady appeared in Mexico, the Protestant Reformation was in full swing in Europe. It is said her appearance converted the Mexican natives to replace those Catholics lost to the faith because of the Reformation. This marked the beginning of the Great Apostasy. Nearly 500 years later, could we be seeing its end? And isn’t conversion now more urgent than ever before, since Our Lord could chastise this sin-ridden earth at any time? Warning and conversion – these are the two purposes for this stellar configuration. But given the recent threats to America’s security Our Lady also could come to console, in the event of a terrorist or nuclear event. It all depends on if this sky sign corresponds with a Marian apparition, if that apparition is reported and is credible and if other events continue to unfold, with or without an apparition.
The image in Apocalypse could represent both the beginning and the end of the Great Apostasy. In the beginning, Leo, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, rests in Our Lady’s womb. The Church was still the Church; She had a true pope. But this latest configuration shows Jupiter in her womb. Could this signify the end of the false popes, who ruled as kings and the re-establishment of the papacy? The usurpers now in Rome play the part of the god-emperors of ancient Rome who worshipped Jupiter as their primary deity. The child delivered is pursued by the dragon and taken up to God’s throne in the Apocalypse; this could not have any reference to a pagan deity, nor could such a monstrosity ever be associated with Our Lady. Some say this taking up into heaven symbolizes divine protection (Rev. Leo Haydock); others (Rev. E.S. Berry, Fr. H.B. Kramer) believe the child she delivers is a pope intended to rule, but who is either greatly persecuted and/or martyred. But the one delivered nevertheless rules with a rod of iron, which could indicate divine punishment by the pope elected or the chastisement sent by Our Lord for rejection of the true pope. After all, it is Our Lady of Guadalupe who is the patroness both of the papacy and the Americas, which explains the connection to Fatima.
That such a sky sign should be preceded by and include so many Marian feasts, and coming as it does during the 100th anniversary of Fatima, it seems to be indicative of some manifestation of Our Lady somewhere in the world during this time period. She told the children she would come a seventh time and while it has always been asserted that that time was fulfilled by her private apparition to Sr. Lucia, this does not correspond with the manner in which she appeared the other six times. Perhaps the seers could not reveal it, as it may have been part of the third secret. If Our Lady should appear, it will most likely be in way of a final warning before the terrible Day of the Lord.
That day was seen most clearly by the Breton (French) stigmatist Marie-Julie Jahenny, whose many predictions about our own times have been fulfilled to the letter. Below is a brief sampling of some of her many prophecies.
(From the French Bishop Fournier, who defended the La Salette seers and Marie-Julie Jahenny. After his death he appeared to Marie Julie and told her the following): “I shall weep over the Eternal City and the chains of the Holy Pontiff…I shall shed with him the last tears of the living Church, because sorrow will extinguish Her for a certain time, and that time is written in Heaven.”
“The Blessed Virgin said that only by prayer and penance will we be saved. Pray especially to the Sacred Heart” (Sept. 29, 1874, 44 years before Fatima.)
“Twenty-four hours before the burst of this storm so black (the chastisement), our Lord will give signs in the firmament. Ah! without the Sacred Heart, we will all perish. All priests who are not good, will be punished.” (Dec. 18, 1874)
“The works of God…will be suspended and the places in which the divine presence dwells will become places of scandal. Blasphemy shall reign therein, and horrible decisions will be made there…The first period is that of the priesthood which has existed since [Our Lord’s] time. The second period is that of the persecution when the enemies of the faith will formulate…the book of the second celebration…” (April,1880). “Soon no sanctuaries will be found any longer…[But] religion will continue to dwell in lonely souls, although these will be harassed and struck pitilessly.” (June 1881). “During all this time you will not have the Bread of the Strong…No apostles, you will have only your faith as food, my Divine Son as sovereign Priest to forgive you…”
On Sept. 19, 1901, anniversary of her appearance at La Salette, Our Lady told Marie Julie: “They take little notice of what I revealed…Now is the time that these great promises will be accomplished that the Church authorities have despised…Some holy priests wanted to make known the message of La Salette, other pastors rebelled and the message was put back under seals, whereas it should have been delivered to the world. It was because pastors and the priesthood was the great issue that there was a rebellion…A heavy cross awaits them…A distinct justice is reserved for them.”
On Nov. 27, 1902 and May 10, 1904, the seer learned from Our Lord and Our Lady: “The disciples who are not of my Gospel are now working hard to remake according to their ideas and under the influence of the enemy of souls a mass that contains words that are odious in my sight…” Our Lady announced “the dispersion of the pastors by the Church itself…real pastors who will be replaced by others formed by hell…new preachers of new sacraments, new temples, new baptisms, new confraternities.”
The damage to the Church is so devastating it will take a miracle to restore it, if this is indeed God’s will. We can only hope these sky signs might signal Christ is coming soon either for the final judgment or to end this nightmare on earth and restore His Church. We hope and pray that Our Lord cannot tarry much longer in chastising the wicked, and so we must be armed with the truths of faith and the weapons of prayer and penance, no matter what the day or the hour might be, or what may be seen in the heavens.
