The Anti-Bolshevik Mother Of God | Poland | 1920
The Miracle on the Vistula (Battle of Warsaw) was the fruit of an ocean of prayers to our Lady. In the face of danger, the Polish bishops called their people to unite.
“Be selfless in the service of the homeland, because it is only through great sacrifices you will retain your freedom.”
They fell to their knees before God and took heed of the bishops’ appeal: “Let us pray; let us persist in prayer, and we shall be triumphant, victorious.”
Praying before an image of the Gracious Mother of God, people implored her to save them from God’s wrath yet again and to deliver them from the Bolshevik terror.
The Queen of Poland fulfilled the request of her nation. Spectacularly, she herself appeared on the battlefield to support the Polish forces. Fr. Jozef Bartnik, S.J., an expert on the Miracle on the Vistula wrote:
Our Lady appeared as the Gracious Mother of God, the Patroness of Warsaw…She appeared in the sky before dawn, a monumental figure who filled the whole of the still-dark sky. She was dressed in a wide, flowing mantle, which protected the capital, and was in the company of Polish hussars who, at the Battle of Vienna, drove off the pagan hordes in all directions under the slogan “In the Name of Mary.” The Mother of God held something akin to a shield that protected the city entrusted to her care. The apparition of Our Lady was seen by dozens, or rather hundreds, of Bolsheviks attacking Polish units in the battle over access to the capital. That apparition caused fear among the soldiers, terror and panic that would be impossible to describe. The Mother of God, surrounded by light, was clearly visible against the backdrop of the night sky! The Bolsheviks, at the sight of Our Lady, fled in extreme terror, leaving Radzymin behind, which seemed to have been in their hands for good! The Bolsheviks retreated in panic. They fled in all directions, across the country, across the fields. Vehicles broke down; horses collapsed, and the roads were strewn with them. Soldiers fled despite the fact that desertion meant a court martial – a firing squad.
The Contemplative Mother Of God | Pontevedra | 1925
Sr. Lucia of Fatima wrote about this apparition in her journal:
On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared in Pontevedra, with the Child Jesus, bourne by a luminous cloud, beside her. The Most Holy Virgin put her hand on my shoulder and showed me her Heart surrounded by thorns, which she held in the other hand. The Child Jesus said, “Have compassion on your most Holy Mother’s heart, covered with thorns, which ungrateful men keep piercing, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.”
The Most Holy Virgin said, “Look my daughter, at My heart, surrounded with thorns which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to me.”
This began the propagation of the Five First Saturdays devotion by Sr. Lucia. Jesus told her:
Here, then, My daughter, is the reason why the Immaculate Heart of Mary causes me to ask for this little act of reparation and by means of it, moves My mercy to forgive those would who have had the misfortune of offending her. As for you, try without ceasing, with all your prayers and sacrifices to move Me to mercy toward those poor souls.
– Words of Jesus to Sr. Lucia of Fatima
Do You Want To Learn More About Marian Apparitions?
These descriptions were excerpts from The World of Marian Apparitions by Wincenty Laszewski. Author and Mariologist Wincenty Laszewski summarizes the powerful and urgent messages of these apparitions and many more in his unparalleled, encyclopedic work-instantly the new standard on the subject. Most of these riveting chapters include portentous warnings – some are ominous, others more hopeful. This stunning book serves as a wake-up call to the faithful and is a worldwide clarion call to deeper prayer and conversion. It includes:
- Over 400 pages describing the fully documented miracles and visions
- Fascinating accounts by eyewitnesses, including non-believers
- 50+ maps of locations and pilgrimage sites
- Photos and illustrations: documents, events, and faces of the visionaries
- The finest works of art and reproductions of Our Lady
Each message and appearance is analyzed and quoted precisely. Their sheer abundance is enough to absorb believing Catholics-and many a skeptic-from all walks of life and reading habits. A partial listing of those described includes:
- Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Message of Fatima
- Basel, Switzerland, 1917: Mystical Wounds
- Fatima, Portugal, 1921: Mother of Obedience
- Pontevedra, Spain, 1925: Contemplative Mother of God
- Banneux, Belgium, 1933: Virgin of the Poor
- Heede, Germany, 1937: Queen of the Poor Souls in Purgatory
- Siekierki, Poland, 1943: Holy Mother Teacher of Youth
- Tre Fontane, Italy, 1947: Virgin of Revelation
- Warsaw, Poland, 1948: Dispenser of Divine Omnipotence
- Ngome, Africa, 1955: Mary, Tabernacle of the Most High
- Rome City, USA, 1956-9: Most Holy Mary, Lady of America
- Zeitoun, Egypt, 1968: Silent Lady
- Akita, Japan, 1973: Apocalyptic Madonna
- Deir el-Ahmar, Lebanon, 1976: Virgin Mary of the Maronites
- Asdee, Ireland, 1985: Madonnas in Motion
- Hruszew, Ukraine, 1987: Madonna of Kiev
Is January 1 A Holy Day? Feast of Mary, Mother of God
Yes, the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, is a Holy Day in the United States.
The World of Marian Apparitions: Mary’s Appearances and Messages from Fatima to Today
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