THE FOUR LAST THINGS OF GARABANDAL - PART 3
A look at the longed-for supernatural event
prophesied at Garabandal which, judging by the
current state of the world, cannot be far off.
THE GREAT MIRACLE
Reprinted with kind permission from GARABANDAL JOURNAL March-April 2004
By Barry Hanratty
Note: All quoted passages in this article are
taken from SHE WENT IN HASTE TO THE MOUNTAIN by
Eusebio Garcia de Pesquera, O.F.M., Cap., unless otherwise indicated.
OF THE THREE GREAT prophesied events of
Garabandal: the Warning, Miracle and
Chastisement, the one that has always aroused the
greatest interest and the one that everyone looks
forward to the most is the great Miracle. The
main reason for this is that the Miracle is of a
positive nature while the other two are negative.
The Warning and Chastisement deal with punishment
and pain, which are contrary to our human nature
while the Miracle is joyful, glorious, healing,
fructifying, unifying, restorative. We don't know
what immediate effect it will have on those who
watch it on television, if it even is televised,
but for those who see it in person the impact
will be so great that, as the Virgin told
Conchita, they will need a special grace to keep from dying of joy.
A MANIFESTATION OF CHRIST
When Conchita was asked how non-Christians would
interpret the Warning, she said that they will
believe it is a warning from God. While this
would be expected, can it nevertheless not be
said that the Warning will come from Him? Didn't
He Himself say: "All power has been given to Me
in heaven and in earth" (Mt 28:18)?
But Jesus does not reveal Himself
universally to everyone in the Warning. In the
Miracle, however, there is no doubt since
Conchita has told us in advance that "it will be
the greatest Miracle Jesus has ever performed for
the world." We cannot help looking forward to
this world-changing event and the effect it will
have on Christians and non-Christians alike.
Is the Miracle greater than the Warning?
When one considers that the Warning will touch
the entire population of the world, it doesn't
seem that anything could be more
all-encompassing. But Conchita has said that the
Warning would "correct the conscience of the
world and prepare it for the great Miracle."
Something that is in preparation for something
else is normally subordinate to it. So how is the
Miracle greater than the Warning? It is greater
in its purpose. While the Warning is meant to
illumine and correct all consciences, it is not
designed to convert the world. That is reserved
for the Miracle. In Conchita's locution with Our
Lord dated July 20, 1963, she asked Him: "Why is
the Miracle going to take place, to convert many
people?" And He answered: "TO CONVERT THE WHOLE WORLD."
While the Miracle will only take place in
one geographical location, the graces that will
radiate out from there will cover the entire world.
THE UNFOLDING
The most important thing about Garabandal is the
Message. To deliver the Message was why Our Lady
appeared in the first place and the Warning and
Miracle are means to augment a true and
widespread living of that Message. But those two
supernatural events nonetheless, in their role as
means to an end, have very great importance, and
for the Miracle, that importance can be measured
by how early in the events its revelation begins to emerge.
The notes of village pastor, Father Valentin
Marichalar, inform us that on the night of
September 3-4, 1961, two months after Our Lady's
first appearance, Jacinta, Loli and Conchita had
a marvelous ecstasy in front of the church door
that lasted until three o'clock in the morning.
As the girls lay on the ground formed in one of
those remarkably beautiful group sculptures,
Conchita was heard to say: "How beautiful the
Miracle is!" How I would like you to perform it
soon! Why haven't you done so already? Do it,
even if it would be only for those who believe.
For those who don't believe, it doesn't matter."
On October 20, 1961, two days after the
Message was read at the Pines and caused so much
disappointment, Jacinta was heard to say in
ecstasy: "No one believes us anymore, do you
know?... So you can perform a very great miracle
in order that many will believe again." The
Virgin smiled and responded: "They will believe."
On March 16, 1962, Mari Loli was asking Our
Lady with insistence for the cure of a woman who
was losing her eyesight and finally exclaimed
loudly: "Go ahead! Cure this woman, Alicia's
mother, who already does not see out of one eye,
and will not see the miracle that you will make
in the sky." (Father Valentin's notes)
In early July 1962, when Conchita informed
Dr. Celestino Ortiz of Santander about the
Miracle of the Visible Host that would take place
on July 18, 1962, he told her it was a very great
miracle for something to be announced in advance
and then realized. She responded: "But to me this
seems to be a very little miracle. Later the
Virgin's miracle will come, and that will be a
Miracle! Then there won't be any doubt."
As the Garabandal events continued to
progress and more about the Miracle was gradually
revealed, it became increasingly clear that of
the visionaries, only Conchita would know
anything about it. PHOTO: Conchita in ecstasy.
She was the only one told about the Miracle.
Toward the end of an ecstasy in the early
morning hours of September 5, 1962, while someone
had a microphone near her mouth, Conchita said to
her Vision: "You say there's going to be a
miracle? And the miracle is going to be that?...
And the Virgin will be seen?... And when?... So
far off?... With me alone... No, I don't want
that... Don't do that! Perform it with the four..."
A few days later on September 9, 1962, Dr.
Ortiz, his wife and his wife's cousin were about
to sit down for a meal in Conchita's Aunt
Maximina's house when Conchita stopped by.
Maximina started kidding her: "We already know
your secrets that there is going to be a
miracle! You can't deny it, since it's been
recorded on tape." Conchita smiled, and after a
moment of silence said, "Yes, there's going to be
a miracle. The Virgin told me, and it's going to be very great..."
"When will it be?"
"I don't know."
"Then none of us will see it."
"Everyone will see it who is here. And the
pope, from wherever he is. And also Padre Pio.
Every day I pray that the miracle will be with
all [four] of us. But don't say anything to anyone."
While Conchita would be the one fully
informed about the Miracle, in a letter dated
October 8, 1962, to Father Jose Ramon Garcia de
la Riva, Mari Loli made it clear that the other
visionaries had at least been told about it: "To
Father Jose Ramon: the Virgin told us there is going to be a miracle."
MORE INFORMATION
During an early morning ecstasy on November 25,
1962, Placido Ruiloba was present with his
recorder and taped what Conchita was saying in
ecstasy regarding the Miracle. Later she
confirmed what was heard on the tape which was summarized as follows:
• The miracle will be at 8:30 in the evening, same as the first apparition.
• It would last a quarter of an hour.
• It would be seen in the sky, and so clearly,
that there would be no doubt that it came from God.
• The sick who come on that day will be cured.
But what about the date when it will occur?
Dr. Ortiz, who was present during the above
mentioned ecstasy, reported: "After the ecstasy,
the girl was radiant with joy. We insisted she
tell us the date of the Miracle, but she said the
time hadn't come and that we should have
patience. She could only reveal the date eight
days in advance but said that the Miracle would
definitely come, since the Virgin had said it, and she could not lie."
If Conchita did not know the exact date by
this time, she knew approximately when it would
occur and that eventually she would be told the date.
On December 6, 1962, she had a 90 minute
ecstasy around 5:30 in the afternoon after which,
she provided two more pieces of information
regarding the Miracle: 1) One day, a little
before the Miracle, something will happen that
will cause many people to stop believing in the
apparitions of Garabandal. The doubts and
desertions will not be due to an excessive delay
of the Miracle. 2) On the day of the Miracle, the
note that she signed in Santander (stating that
the apparitions were not authentic) will disappear.
The revelations about the Miracle for 1962
ended on December 15 as recorded in Father
Valentin's notes: "Conchita told Mercedes
Salisachs that a totally paralyzed man would be
cured on the day of the Miracle wherever he was."
On January 15, 1963, by which time Mari
Cruz, Jacinta and Mari Loli had stopped having
visions, Conchita again fell into ecstasy. Later
in the day she said to her Aunt Maximina: "Look
Aunt, don't tell this to my mother, but today the
angel told me the date of the Miracle."
PHOTO: The road leading to San Sebastian de Garabandal.
From this point on, Conchita would have only
four more apparitions: one more in 1963, none in
1964 and three in 1965 with the last one being on
November 13, 1965. However, beginning in March,
1963, she began having locutions, and
significantly enough, her first locution had to do with the Miracle.
When the other three visionaries stopped
having visions, they immediately began to doubt
their experiences, as Our Lady said they would,
and Conchita also seems to have been smitten as she explains in her diary:
I also doubted a bit whether the miracle would
take place. And one day when I was in my room
doubting if the miracle would occur, I heard a
voice that said: "Conchita, do not doubt that my
Son will perform a miracle!" I heard it
interiorly, as clearly as if through my ears and
even better than if it had been through words. It
left me with a peace and a joy even greater than
that experienced when I saw her.
On August 2, 1964, Conchita wrote a letter
to Father Ramón Andreu which included this
startling revelation: "On July 18, [1964] the
feast day of San Sebastian de Garabandal, I had a
locution, and in this locution, I was told that
on the day after the Miracle your brother [Father
Luis Andreu] will be taken out of his tomb and
his body will be found incorrupt."
GOLDEN THREAD
The revelation of the Miracle at Garabandal was
like a golden thread woven throughout the rich
tapestry of the events starting not long after
the beginning and continuing throughout. Finally,
when Conchita had received the full revelation,
she was able to tell Francisco Sanchez-Ventura
all she was permitted to say which he published
in his book LAS APARICIONES No SON UN MITO:
I am the only one to whom the Blessed Virgin
spoke of the miracle. She forbade me to say what
it will consist of. I can't announce the date
either until eight days before it is due to
occur. What I can reveal is that it will coincide
with an event in the Church and with the feast of
a saint, martyr of the Eucharist; that it will
take place at eight thirty on a Thursday evening;
that it will be visible to all those who are in
the village and surrounding mountains; that the
sick who are present will be cured and the
incredulous will believe, it will be the greatest
miracle that Jesus has performed for the world.
There won't be the slightest doubt that it comes
from God and that it is for the good of mankind.
A sign of the miracle which it will be possible
to film or televise, will remain forever at the pines.
"Conchita, do not doubt that my Son will perform a miracle!"
In this summary, however, Conchita made one
omission that is included in her diary and should
come right after she says "the incredulous will
believe," and it is that "sinners will be converted."
With so many people pressing Conchita for
more information about the Miracle, she consented
to state the following: it will occur between the
eighth and sixteenth of either March, April or May.
ITS IMPACT
We don't know for certain what the worldwide
impact of the Miracle will be, but all
indications are that it will be massive. In her
locution with Our Lord on July 20, 1963, Conchita
asked Him if as a result of the Miracle Russia
will be converted. He replied: "Yes, she also
will be converted, and thus everybody will love
Our hearts." The word "also" has been italicized
here because of its significance. In Father
Pelletier's otherwise excellent translation of
this locution in his book OUR LADY COMES TO
GARABANDAL (page 144) the word "also" is left
out, but it does appear in Conchita's original
handwritten diary. It indicates that other
countries besides Russia will be converted.
Will the Miracle initiate the unification of
all Christians? We don't know, but that
unification has also been foretold by Our Lady at Garabandal.
SEAL OF THE EVENTS
The greatest event in human history was the
Incarnation when the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity took on human flesh. No other event can
ever compare with that. But it took another great
event, the Resurrection, to confirm that the
first one really happened. For if Christ did not
rise on the third day as He said He would, then
He could not have been the Messiah and therefore
there could not have been the Incarnation. All
His great teachings and miracles would have been
discounted and explained away had there not been
an empty tomb on that third day. But He did rise
and the rest is salvation history.
THEY SAW THE MIRACLE
While Father Luis Andreu, S.J., (right) was
observing the visionaries in ecstasy at the Pines
in Garabandal on August 8, 1961, witnesses heard
him suddenly cry out "Miracle!" four times. On
that fateful night, he became the only person
other than the visionaries to see the Blessed
Virgin at Garabandal. What's more, he saw what
the seers did not see: a preview of the great
Miracle. On the drive home in the early hours of
the next morning, he was filled wiith joy and
said: "What a favor the Virgin has given me. How
fortunate we are to have a mother like that in
heaven. This is the happiest day of my life." He
then died in great peace even though there was nothing wrong with him.
Padre Pio saw the Miracle before he died
according to Father Bernardino Cennamo, OF.M.,
who said that the future saint had told him so himself.
MIRACLE FACTS
Before the Miracle
• There will be many reported "apparitions"
throughout the world. (This prophecy made in
December, 1962, has already been fulfilled.)
•A Bishop of Santander will come along who will
not believe at first but will receive a sign and
allow priests to go up to Garabandal for the Miracle.
• Shortly before the Miracle something will
happen that will cause people to stop believing in Garabandal.
• A period of 12 months or less will elapse from
the time of the Warning to the Miracle.
•Conchita will announce it eight days in advance.
Day of the Miracle
• It will occur on a Thursday at 8:30 in the
evening between the eighth and sixteenth of March, April or May.
• It will coincide with a great ecclesiastical event in the Church.
• It will be on the feast day of a young martyr.
• It will last fifteen minutes.
•It will be seen in the sky.
• All those either in the village or on the surrounding mountains will see it.
• The sick who are present will be cured, sinners
converted and the incredulous will believe.
• It will be the greatest miracle that Jesus has ever performed for the world.
• Padre Pio will see it (see above) and the Pope
(John Paul II) from wherever he is at the time.
After the Miracle
• A permanent, visible supernatural sign will
remain at the Pines until the end of time. It
will be possible to televise, film and photograph
this wonder but not touch it. It has been likened
to a column of smoke or a ray of sunlight but is not either one.
• As a result of the Miracle, Russia and other countries will be converted.
• On the day after the Miracle, the body of
Father Luis Andreu will be removed from his grave and found incorrupt.
With Garabandal, an analogy can be made in
the sense that one event will serve to confirm
the authenticity of all that preceded it. For
Garabandal, everything rides on the Miracle. If
there is no miracle then all the marvelous
ecstasies and the extraordinary phenomena
associated with them, the messages, prophecies
everything will be discredited.
But to help our belief that the Miracle will
happen, abundant proofs of the divine origin of
the events themselves have not only been given,
but we also have the testimony of those who have
already seen the Miracle in the persons of Father
Luis Andreu and Saint Padre Pio.
Furthermore, we have been able to see for
ourselves the fulfillment of prophecies made at
Garabandal. So why should we doubt that the
Miracle also will happen? Another point to
consider is that, as demonstrated in this
article, the promise of a great miracle was
imbedded in the events, events that have proven
their worthiness. How could the predicted
Miracle, as part of those events, fail to have
equal integrity? Besides, by the time of the
Miracle, we will already have been conditioned
for the spectacular since the Warning will by then have taken place.
One final reason why we should not doubt the
Miracle is that we need it. In Conchita's diary is this entry:
The Blessed Virgin advised me of a great miracle
that God, Our Lord, will perform through her
intercession. Just as the chastisement will be
very, very great, in keeping with what we
deserve, so too, the miracle will be extremely
great, in keeping with the needs of the world.
Hope is one of the three theological virtues
and in that context, we hope for our eternal
salvation. But even for the needs of everyday
life we have to have hope, especially today in an
increasingly secularized and dangerous world.
The Miracle gives us hope for better days when it
ushers in the period of peace promised by Our Lady.
Reprinted with kind permission from
<http://www.ourlady.ca/faq/magazineJournal.htm>GARABANDAL
JOURNAL • March-April 2004
to order
subscription:
<http://www.ourlady.ca/faq/magazineJournal.htm>GARABANDAL
JOURNAL<http://www.ourlady.ca/faq/magazineJournal.htm>.
Next issue: The Chastisement
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