{HOME} { CONTACTS} {GIFT SHOP} {MEDJUGORJE}  {ABOUT US} {APPARITIONS} {DEVOTIONS} {SPONSORS}
{PICTURE GALLERY} {PICTURE OF THE MONTH} {GOSPA'S CORNER} {POW GROUP} {PRAYER ROOM} {RESOURCES} {WHAT'S NEW}

Can lighting strike twice? Italian news sources reported “Sunday” (March 3, 2013) that a mild earthquake struck Rome and surrounding areas, including Castel Gandolfo, the former pope's (Pope Benedict) temporary home. This earthquake comes just three days after Pope Benedict stepped down on February 28, 2013. Could this be a sign similar in nature as the 3 days of darkness during the plagues of Egypt? (Exodus Chapters 7-11) On “Sunday” February 16, 2013 an earthquake magnitude 4.8 was felt throughout Rome and Naples. This earthquake came just 5 days after Pope Benedict announced he would step down on February 11, 2012. Feb 17, 2013 the next day after the 4.8 earthquake in Italy, swarms of locust invaded the crops in Sudan. Three days prior to the earthquake on February 13, 2013, locust hit Sacramento, CA.) Can lighting strike twice? Yes it can!

On February 11, 2013 when Pope Benedict announced he would step down. On the following day February 12, 2013, not one but two lighting strikes hit the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican. As a result, the internet was swarming with speculation, rumors and even concerns of future freighting events to come. The question we should ask here is if the lighting strikes, two earthquakes and locust are signs from God or just nature at work?

Two days after Pope Benedict stepped down, Medjugorje seer Mirjana received her monthly message on March 2, 1013. This is the message given to Mirjana, (1.)“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. (2.) Do not shut your eyes to the "warnings" which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. (3.) Do you love Him above all else? (4.) Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? (5) Do you repent for not having accepted the message? (6.) My children, do not resist the love of my Son. (7.) Do not resist hope and peace. (8.) Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. (9.) He will give you the strength for a new life. (10.) Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. (11.) My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. (12) I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”

Breaking down Our Lady’s message on March 2, we find in the first line Our Lady is telling us not to harden our hearts. What does this line mean? When Moses returned to Egypt, commanded by God to free the slaves from bondage, Ramses (the Pharaoh of Egypt) son of Seti, laughed at Moses and his God. Ramsey’s refused to set the salves free because Pharaoh “hardened his heart.” (King James Exodus 8:32) (Catholic Edition; 8:28). With each plague that hit Egypt, the more Ramses refused to free God’s people from bondage. Just after Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, the fifth plague hit the whole of Egypt. The fifth plague was pestilence. The eight plague was locust. (Note: March 3, 2013) News agencies reported a plague of locust hit Egypt. Israel is on alert concerned the swarms of locust could cross their boarders as well. (Note Reminder, Feb 17, 2013, swarms of locust invaded the crops in Sudan, February 13, 2013, locust hit Sacramento, CA.)

In the second line Our Lady tells us, “do not shut your eyes to the warnings God is sending.” Shutting our eyes and hardening our hearts is the same thing. In so doing, people refused to see the warning signs being sent. So far Our Lady tells us, people are choosing to harden their hearts and shut their eyes. If we do not open our eyes to the truth and give our hearts to the tender mercies of God, a time is coming where we will pass the point of no return. The point of no return is “ the darkness.”

In line three we find the answer to correct this problem is simple, we need change our ways and return to the love of God above all other things. Changing our ways is a difficult thing to do because people are caught up in the ways of this world, which are not the ways of God.

Line four sends us a strong reminder that it is time to repent our ways. We have cast God aside and even forgotten that He sent His “Only begotten Son,” who died on the cross that we may have life everlasting. If we refuse Jesus Christ, we do not have everlasting life.

Line five tells us, we are still refusing all the messages Our Lady is giving us, through the Medjugorje apparitions for over 30 years now. Our Lady continues by adding that we need to change our course and repent.

Line six and seven tell us, we are refusing God’s love who gave His only Son that we may have everlasting life. Instead the world is choosing the ways of the world over the hope and peace that God can bring to our lives.

Line eight tells us, with prayer and fasting we can change the freighting darkness of evil working to takeover the world and rule all the people.

Line nine tell us, if we pray and fast changing our ways, the darkness will not come because, Jesus Christ is the hope and strength leading us to a new life.

Line ten tells us, if we pray and fast, hope will not disappoint us because through Christ (who gave His life on the cross,) we will be saved from the darkness and sin.

Line eleven reminds us that we are “The Children of Mary,” and we need to keep a vigil, much like the vigil kept by the virgins seeking to enter the wedding feast,  (Matthew Chapter 25.) In the message Our Lady also reminds us that as Our Mother, Our Lady will keep vigil with us.

Line twelve tells us, many have been chosen and are working to bring the messages to the world for the sake of the salvation of all people. This ends Our Lady message of March, 2, 2013.

We can’t continue to bury our heads in the ground thinking the worlds chastisements will not come. Chastisements are coming if men do not repent and change their ways. These chastisements are not a threat, they are a fact of the course of direction chosen. God is the only good hope left for this world. Prayer and fasting is the way back to God but the world must choose this course on its own free will. Out of love for His creation, God is sending us many warning signs, even as a woman who has birth pangs (Matthew 24). We are no longer living in the times to come. We are living in the times that are here and now. We must pray, pray, pray as Our Lady of Medjugorje so often tells us in so many messages. It is also time to fast often (recommended Wednesdays and Fridays), as Our Lady has also often suggested. If we do not pray and fast, changing the course direction we are on, the next plague will be the darkness.

There were a total of 10 plagues that hit Egypt before the Israelites slaves were freed from bondage. These plagues are found in the book of Exodus Chapters, 7-11. The first plague was when the water in Egypt turned to blood. The following rivers turned blood red in 2012, Yangtze River, China, September 8, 2012, Bondi Beach, Sidney, Australia November 27, 2012. Last I knew no one was able to explain how or why these water ways turned red.

As a reminder, above I also wrote on March 3, 2013 that news agencies reported a plague of locust hit Egypt. During the plagues on Egypt during the time of Moses, the eight plague was locust. The ninth plague on Egypt was called "the darkness", it lasted three days.

Note: It may also be an interesting note of current events that the Egyptian people have been protesting. Egypt may well be headed into a civil war.  

Would you like to read more of our articles on "The Signs of the Times?" Visit  http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/signsign.htm