That’s not my call. Maybe she is. Maybe this is all true. Some evidence of the alleged miracles would go a long way toward convincing me– we are to judge trees by their fruit, after all, and since the only fruit I can see of this apparition is the Messages and Warnings, I’m forced to give my opinion based on those alone. But maybe I’m wrong. Or, maybe it’s all an elaborate hoax or a hallucination. Maybe a couple of the apparitions are real and the rest of them are a hallucination. Maybe Mary is really appearing to that visionary and giving him or her a completely different set of messages, but the visionary is a total psychopath who’s taunting her by writing down made-up silly messages. I can’t say for sure. I can give a pretty good guess, but it’s way above my pay grade to declare it one way or another.
Then again, what’s the question? Does the Blessed Virgin Mary walk among us in Argyle, Texas? Yes she does, and all over the world for that matter.
Does she want us to repent of our sins? I’m positive that she does.
Does she want us to say our prayers? Yes, we should definitely say our prayers.
Do we live in interesting times? Has anyone ever not lived in interesting times? Was there ever a really easy and carefree time to be a Catholic or even to exist as a living thing in the natural world? Isn’t science’s best guess that it’s going to get a lot worse than it’s been in human memory if something isn’t done fast? Did we really need an apparition from Heaven to tell us that the Church and the natural environment are a mess right now due to the sins of men? And I don’t mean that Jesus is punishing us for our sins, I mean that powerful and selfish people have made bad choices for a very long time, and now we’re stuck with the direct societal and natural consequences. I already knew all of this.
Is the supervolcano under The State of Yellow Stone, I mean Yellowstone National Park, going to erupt in a cataclysm the like of which we’ve never seen? It could. If it did, and if I lived to think about it one way or another, I would not interpret that as a punishment from Jesus.
Even if it does, I do not see how these ongoing alleged prophecies will change anything. It’s not as if they tell us exactly what day we shouldn’t be picnicking on top of a volcano.
We live in a fallen world where terrible things happen, often to innocent people, often because powerful people have caused them or failed to prevent them through their sins. The clergy and the hierarchy have become very corrupt. Natural disasters are happening all over. Personal conversion, penance and prayer are necessary for our own souls and they somehow have a huge influence on the world around us– I can’t explain that last bit, but I believe it. Miracles happen and even when they don’t, even when the worst comes to the worst, Christ and Mary are with us supplying grace. We Catholics already knew all of that.
This is why I can’t be bothered with apparitions, personally. Why weren’t we doing all this in the first place?
Christ and Mary are already walking with us. They come to us in the annoyances and consolations of our daily life, among the pots and pans, somewhere in the monotony and the chaos we have to navigate as humans whether we choose to accept their grace or not. We find them in our neighbor, our friends and enemies, everyone who comes to us for mercy– and everyone does, everyone you meet needs mercy. We find them present still in solitude and loneliness. And when we suffer– when we suffer anything, from ordinary sickness to a cataclysm– they suffer with us. Mary stands at the foot of the cross, interceding, and Christ goes within us to offer our passion to the Father as His own.
Sometimes, they come to us in signs and wonders as well. Such things do happen, and more often than we think. I’m inclined to think they would happen still more often if we allowed them to be ordinary, instead of making them into idols. Apparition Culture quickly becomes idolatry, because you end up fixating on the signs and wonders you can see instead of the Invisible God.
Fix your eyes on God, and all these things will be added unto you– including signs and wonders. I’ve always found that to be the case.
Test every spirit and retain what is good. If an angel, or someone claiming to be the Virgin Mary, should appear to you with a Rope of Justice and a list of chastisements for places with silly names– if those messengers are truly from God, they won’t be offended if you are cautious about them for God’s sake. If they lack that humility and patience, don’t bother with them. The devil and his followers are the ones pompous enough to take offense at that.
Though I suppose you might consider putting off your vacation to Yellowstone, just in case.
(image via Pixabay)
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