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Signs of Times, Hell & Purgatory



Three Signs 10 Days Apart

TIA,

Oct. 21, 2012: Sanctuary of Lourdes, France: Flooded. Mary over waters.
Oct. 30, 2012: Queens NY, flood and fire. Mary statue untouched.
Oct. 31, 2012: Basilica of Lujan, Argentina, major Marian shrine, flooded

flooded Lourdes

Lourdes Shrine, France: October 21, 2012


An intact statue of Our Lady surrounded by the ruins of Katrina

Queens, New York: October 30, 2012


a flooded Basilica of Lujan

Basilica of Lujan, Argentina: October 31, 2012


Can we see the signs of the times?

Lourdes, Oct 21. A catastrophic flood, the biggest since 1937, forced the closing of the sanctuary of Lourdes. The place the Immaculate had transformed from garbage dump into a place of grace and incomparable beauty, was covered with mud and debris. Mary's most visited sanctuary in Europe lay in desolation, yet Mary stood safe on the rock where she appeared to St. Bernadette, overlooking the murky waters with her hands folded in prayer. The Immaculate is also the Sorrowful Mother that comes to save her lost children.

Queens NY, Oct 29. Only 8 days later, Northeast USA is hit by Sandy, the biggest superstorm ever experienced there. It flooded populated areas including sections of NY city. At Breezy Point, the "Catholic Heart of NY", in the borough of Queens, flood damage was compounded with a fire in the middle of the night. Neighbors lamented: "What is not flooded is burning" Entire blocks were leveled. Yet a statue of the Blessed Mother remained intact in her niche with her arms extended as channels of God's grace. There was no one on sight to receive those graces but the scene of Mary amidst the ruins appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post and many others. Many saw it. But do they really understand or is it just a nice photo opportunity?

Lujan, Argentina, Oct 31. 10 days after the flood at Lourdes, flood waters surround the Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan in Argentina. The news reports say: "They cannot explain why the water level does not go down... The river is behaving in a strange manner... there are entire fields and neighborhoods under water" [For more click here.]

How much our Mother desires that we open our hearts to God's grace! How many warnings and apparitions! But since our hearts are hardened and we refuse to believe, God is making the spiritual reality visible to our eyes. The Blessed Mother's presence untouched by the powers of destruction is a powerful message: She is the refuge of sinners. Mother comes to take her children to safety. The Immaculate is victorious over evil. We are only safe with her. Natural disasters remind us that we are not gods, they offer an opportunity to repent of our pride and return with Mary to God.

"Hail Mary, Mother of God pray for us sinners!" - Catholics pray these words every day. But how many realize that we are truly lost without her? A new TV program flaunts that: "We are in 2012 and everything goes". How foolish and blind we have become! We are entering a huge spiritual storm where many are being lost, but at the end The Immaculate Heart will triumph and her faithful children with her.

Let us turn our lives to Mary and go with her to Jesus Crucified. Let us reach out to bring as many as we can! Mother, pray for us sinners! Lift us up from the floods of confusion, immorality and heresy of our troubled times! As you have done throughout the ages, guide your children in the path of Christ to Heaven!

     J.F.M.
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Secure Protection

Dear TIA,,

Salve Maria! I love this photo and stories like the one below! It clearly shows the power of Our Lady.

I believe this actually happens a great deal. A firestorm went through Laguna Beach about 20 years ago, and a whole neighborhood, like this one, was burned to rubble. But in the desolation, one fireplace stood and a statue of the Blessed Virgin on the mantel was completely unharmed. This information was only local, as the news reporters chose to ignore it and its significance. But word travelled fast!

This happens so much more than we know. It helps me remember the eight priests who survived the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WWII. They were only blocks from ground zero and yet lived and suffered no effects of the radiation. They were protected by Our Lady, and She will protect Her faithful in the chastisement. Not all in the same way, of course, but this is cause for great confidence instead of fear.

     In Maria,

     C.C.
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Breezy Point Fire Destroys 80 Homes, ‘Whatever Isn’t Flooded Is on Fire’

Posted: October 30, 2012

The Breezy Point fire in Queens last night as Sandy raged and floods proliferated has destroyed somewhere between 80 and 100 homes in the quiet enclave, as residents and responders assess the damage that has all but destroyed the unique beachside community. The Breezy Point fire was reported amid several chaotic updates emanating from the five boroughs last night, where residents in several areas were affected by unprecedented damage to infrastructure and homes.

But the Breezy Point fire was perhaps the most large-scale single-event that raged Monday night within the boundaries of New York City, and witnesses have described a “smoking ruin” where the beloved seaside community once stood.

Due to its low-lying location and status within Zone A of NYPD evacuation areas, the Breezy Point fire raged through blocks of the community, which is the second-largest concentration of Irish-Americans in the US. Although the Breezy Point fire was reported at around 11 PM, NYPD crews were unable to reach the fire until morning, allowing fires to rage in the flooded homes and massive damages to result.

One remnant of the Breezy Point fire that seems a nod to its Irish-American identity remained amid the charred wreckage this morning, a statue of the Virgin Mary remaining intact amid the smoldering debris


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Benedict, Hell & Purgatory

Dear TIA,

If Benedict believes in Purgatory, he has kept it hidden very well on the very day [All Souls Feast Day] when he should be mentioning it (see news report below in blue). His phrase, "the double horizon of humanity, which we symbolically express with the words 'earth' and 'heaven'" is at least confusing and offensive to pious ears.

Earth is hardly something on the horizon, which may be said about Heaven - we are living ON earth NOW. But there is another ultimate horizon which he neglects to mention, namely, Hell.

Purgatory as well is a temporary horizon - no mention, as you point out. And is "Heaven" a symbolic expression of something? Does Benedict believe in Heaven as a place where at least Our Lord and Our Lady are now physically present? He leaves us in doubt as to what he believes, and consequently, will leave many in doubt as to what the Church teaches.

If I may say anything in his favor here, is it possible that the CNA/EWTN News service merely selected from a long speech what it thought was Benedict's most impressive teaching?

I can hope that, but I don't believe it. This sounds like vintage Joseph Ratzinger.

     P.O.B.
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Pope Celebrates Feast of All Souls in Papal Crypt

From CNA Daily News On November - 2 - 2012

Vatican City, Nov 2, 2012 / 03:27 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As Catholics around the world on Nov. 2 remember those who have passed away, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Vatican Grottoes to pray for his predecessors on the feast of All Souls.

In remarks made in St. Peter's square Nov. 1 anticipating All Souls day, Pope Benedict said the feast “helps us to reflect on the double horizon of humanity, which we symbolically express with the words 'earth' and 'heaven.'”

He noted on Thursday that All Souls should remind Catholics of the reality of the communion of saints – a reality uniting all believers, living and dead.

“The earth represents the journey of history, heaven eternal, the fullness of life in God,” he said. “These two dimensions are united by the reality of the 'communion of saints': a reality that begins here on earth and that reaches its fulfillment in heaven.”


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Blason de Charlemagne
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Posted November 6, 2012
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA