MARAPPMPYPER051924

The speaker discusses the beauty of spring and the new life it brings. They mention the importance of radiating the light of Christ in a dark world. They talk about the choice between darkness and light, and how the devil tricks people into choosing darkness. They emphasize the role of the Blessed Mother in guiding and warning humanity through Marian apparitions. The speaker also mentions the importance of prayer, penance, and reparation for the conversion of sinners. They discuss Pope Leo XIII's vision of the church's future and the role of St. Michael the Archangel in protecting the Blessed Mother. Welcome everyone, so glad to be with you on this beautiful day. You know, spring is here in Dayton, Ohio, and it's glorious. There is nothing like spring, I think, because in the dead of winter when everything is cold and barren and now all of a sudden we see daffodils blooming and the tulips coming through and all the buds on the trees, and we know that new life is just around the corner. And this year, our Lenten season will end at the very last day of March, so it's very early, but right in the midst of all of this new life. And a great reminder to us that even though the world and all the things that are going on in it are full of darkness and getting darker all the time, it seems, from the news, there is a light, a light that penetrates through the darkness, a light that cannot be put out, the light of Christ. And when we radiate that light, my friends, then the whole world comes back to the goodness of the Lord, and it's able to feel new again and be recreated. And so we have a fresh start, and we can't waste this because we are called to be the light. And if you remember many of the readings now during Lent, especially this past Sunday and the last couple of days, all center around the darkness and how we are called to be the light, children of the light. And so as children of the light, we need to spread that light into the darkness to expose the evil and to highlight the good. And so, you know, God is so good and gracious that he gives us all these graces during Lent, and it goes right along with all the different things that are happening physically through the spring about to break through. Even though there is still some coldness, you know, we are up to 70 degrees here today, but by Sunday we will be down in the 30s again with maybe some snowflakes. So sometimes we think the darkness is over, but it just comes back to say, hey, we are still here. And that's what we need to do, my friends. We have to get back to the root of what that darkness is and where it comes from. And so when we do that, then we see more clearly the heavenly peace plans that have been revealed to us through many Marian apparitions. And so today we are going to talk about none other than Saint Michael. So Saint Michael, when we go back to the root of things, you know, he was the one that challenged the evil one. He was the highest angel, Lucifer, which means light, but he turned it into darkness. Can you imagine being created as the highest, most intellectual being that God ever created and that was all light, and yet he chose the darkness? And that's what we are seeing all around us, my friends. People willingly choosing the darkness over the light, and many times not even knowing it. And that's what I heard Father Dan, our priest director, the other day when he was talking with his mom, that many people choose darkness and choose to walk away from Christ and to live in sin, in that darkness, in that prison, through their life choices. And so sometimes it sneaks up on us, you know, the devil is very tricky, he's very deceitful, and he tricks us into saying yes to things that are not good for us and things that are sinful and things that break our union with the Lord. And so we have to be aware of those things, and the more aware that we become, the more we can fight it. And that's what our Blessed Mother does every time she comes to earth, and in most particular in her more recent apparitions, she's always warned the world and her sons and daughters about things that are on the verge of happening or things that need to be responded to before they get out of hand. And she always gives us a remedy, and that's what I love about her. She's always bringing hope and inviting prayer, because she knows that when we respond to that with our whole hearts, that that power of prayer is miraculous. It can change hearts, hardened hearts. It can do things that we never thought were possible, but with God all things are possible, and we need to remember that because that's part of the light. When we forget or we think that things are not possible, that even God himself can't change the situation, then we're letting the evil one bring that darkness into our souls and into our intellect and into our spirits. And I think that's really what's happening in many cases with so many people resorting to anxiety drugs and all that kind of stuff, because they've bought into that darkness and they can't see the light. And they think that it's hopeless and impossible, and so they're very anxious and worried and depressed. But as Christians, we know that we are not made for this world, but we are made and put into a mission, actually, to spread the joy of the Lord, the joy of the gospel, and his goodness and his light wherever we can. So that's why our blessed mother, she's coming as never before to warn us, to help us, to be on track, to teach us day by day in the school of Mary. This is sometimes called the age of Mary. That's because during the last two centuries, we have received more church-approved Marian apparitions than any other time in the history of the church. That, my friends, should tell us that we are in unprecedented times when the mother of God is sent to earth to help her children, to help all of God's creatures, to live the way that they're supposed to, and call us back to the truth of God, the truth of the gospel, of being his disciples. Well, then we know that we're off track, that we're spinning off the rails, and that we're not headed in the right direction. And if we're not headed in the right direction, then the world is not headed in the right direction. So, our blessed mother comes, and these Marian apparitions may convey the urgent call of a mother's heart for humanity to return to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to become more generous in prayer and penance and reparation, and for the conversion of sinners. Does that sound like Fatima and all the other apparitions? Yes, because it's the same message. It's just like the Israelites when we read about how they had to keep going around the mountain in the desert, you know, because of their stubbornness and their obstinance and their unwillingness to obey the new commandments that were just given to them in a miraculous way. They saw all these miracles that no one had ever seen before, to free them from the grips of the people who had captured them and enslaved them, and had turned them, in many cases, from their God. And so then they're freed by Moses, and what happens? Given these beautiful, wonderful miracles and the love that is the Ten Commandments, they still chose not to. They still grumble. They still complain. Sound familiar? Yeah, because that's us. We haven't learned our lesson. It's kind of a human condition, but yet we are not called to dwell there. We have been baptized. We have become children of the light. We have become children of God, and our inheritance is none other than heaven, none other than Jesus Christ himself, God the Father and the Holy Spirit, and our Blessed Mother, all the saints in heaven. That's where we're headed. That's where we should be headed, and we, as soldiers for Christ, we need to take that and help people to understand that if they are trapped in sinful ways, then we need to enlighten them, to bring light to that situation with love and with all humility, but at the same time, to help them to understand in many different ways that the things that they are doing is putting them on a wrong path. It's not the path to God, and they might feel they were living a good life, and maybe they are living a good life, but is it a supernatural life that we're called to? Even the pagans do these things, as they say in the scripture, and so, yeah, they're getting married, but if they're not getting married in church and making a sacramental marriage, instead they're doing a destination wedding with all the bells and whistles, but the bells and whistles of heaven and the grace of heaven is not with them, and they're going to need that, especially in today's society. So, you know, when we are called by our blessed mother to be more generous in prayer and penance and reparation, not only for our sins, but the sins of others, the sins of our children, the sins of our fathers and mothers, the sins of our relations, you know, that in itself should keep us pretty busy, and for the conversion of sinners, you know, for those who do not yet know the love of Christ, we need to show them that love and that compassion, and to offset through prayer and sacrifice any conditioned purification that may face contemporary humanity due to its rejection of God, His law, and His love, and that's what it comes down to. We are rejecting, we have a choice, and today many are choosing to reject God, to reject His law, and to reject His very unconditional love that He has for us, that burning love. You know, we see it in depictions of the sacred heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, how they are on fire with love for us, and if we were to become all that God wants us to become and made us to become, we would set the world on fire. And yet, many aren't even sure what to do, who the Lord is, and if they really want to sacrifice for others, because they're not sacrificing for me, so what's in it for me? So that kind of mentality is what we're combating, and we need extra graces, we need extra help, and so we have St. Michael the Archangel to the rescue, and this is something that happened a long time ago, one of my favorite apparitions, even though it doesn't really directly involve the Blessed Mother, but you know she's there, because wherever St. Michael is, Our Lady is there, because He's always protecting her, and always fighting for her, and so this goes back quite a ways, and it goes all the way back to Pope Leo XIII's prophetic vision of the church's future, and that, my friends, is what we're living today. And so this was in 1878, and so Pope Leo XIII became the Bishop of Rome, taking the name Leo XIII, and when he took the papal throne, he believed that only a carefully targeted re-Christianization of society could heal the wounds of contemporary world. That echoes Pope John Paul II, right, in all his documents that he wrote, he was very prolific in his writings, and how beautiful they are, and Vatican II, you know, Christians in the modern world, in society. These are the things, how do we live that life, how do we live that life of discipleship, of that love, and how do we spread it to others, because really, when we look back at the Acts of the Apostles, all the things that they did were so radical, that it caught the attention of everyone, good and bad, and many of them were mystified, because they couldn't understand why and how the Christians could love everybody, even those who were unlovable in those days, those who were soldiers that were killing the Christians, but yet there was that love and that forgiveness that couldn't be understood, that converted so many hearts, because it's beyond understanding, and the only way it makes sense is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, which he is, but when you start to realize that, and that comes into your thoughts, and it comes into your soul and your spirit, everything changes, the light comes to you, and it's like, how could I not believe? But if no one brings you that light, if no one helps to radiate the light of Christ into your life, then how will you know? And that's why Pope Leo XIII, his vision of the Church's future was horrifying, because it was so lawless, it was so evil, that he actually, it stunned him, and we know that this terrible vision of the Church's future, not just the world, but the Church, and we're going through that passion now, many believe the Church is, it had a Marian character, not because Mary herself appeared to the Holy Father, but because the terrible events she allowed him to see, moved him to promote the Rosary as the key to victory over Satan. There it is again, my friends, what is the key to the victory over Satan? We've seen it throughout time, many different miracles, it is the Rosary, in fact, Padre Pio used to hold it in his hand and he said, this is my weapon, and it's true, it is a powerful weapon, it's more powerful than guns, it's more powerful than swords, it's more powerful than we could ever imagine, and I think when we get to Heaven, and our Lady shows us, or Christ shows us, you know, they're supposed to have a review of your life, maybe that one time when you were able to pray those Hail Marys and the Our Fathers, that Rosary, with a deep conviction and a deep love, I think you'll see, they'll show you all the graces, and all the things that you put into motion, or that you stopped from happening, the evil things that threatened your family, that threatened your loved ones, that threatened the church, that threatened all those who do not yet know the Lord, and how many people and souls that it really saved, because as our Mother said in Fatima, she talks about, and when she shows the vision of Hell to the children, she said, so many people, so many souls are falling into Hell like snowflakes, because there's no one to pray and sacrifice for them, so when we do that, our Mother, she always keeps her promises, when we pray that Rosary, when we sacrifice, when we amend our life and turn back to God, that pours out that light that radiates all around us, whether we see it or not, it is affecting all those around us, especially those whom we love, and so Leo XIII's dedication to Mary throughout his pontificate suggests that she showed him how to win the battle against evil using the Rosary, so we will be shown that too, in our specific battles, not Pope Leo XIII's, maybe, maybe we'll know that for sure, because there's all truth and knowledge when we're in Heaven, but to see in our particular judgment, the effect that our prayers had, we are going to wish that we had prayed more, that we had sacrificed more, if only we had known, that's where faith comes in my friends, if only we had known, we can know, the Lord keeps his promises, the Blessed Mother keeps her promises, the Saints who help us from beyond, the Angels, they keep their promises, I remember, and I always think about Padre Pio, one of my favorite Saints, and you know, he had that gift of seeing guardian Angels and seeing Angels, and said, send me a guardian Angel if you can't come to Italy, and so many people did, on faith, but he saw them as real life, right, it wasn't like a ghost, he said he could touch them and talk to them just as if they were a person, and so these beings of light, full of radiating the light of Christ, would come to him with problems and all kinds of different things and requests, and he would answer them and give, help them to, to increase the faith and the hope that their charges had, or lack of, because many times when we, when we implore the Lord for different things, we may have faith, but have we lost sight of the fact that he will do whatever is best for us, and so sometimes it may seem like our prayers go unanswered, or we pray for a healing for a loved one, but that doesn't come, but maybe that, when we see the real reality of it, maybe what we will see is that was their purgatory on earth, so they could get to heaven quicker, faster, or maybe it was the difference between heaven and hell, you know, so sometimes, well, sometimes we, we see too much with not the eyes of faith, but with our physical eyes and our physical heart, and we all have good intentions, but we can't see beyond to know that whatever God permits, whatever he ordains, is his will for us, because it will help us and others through us to get to heaven. So anyway, Pope Leo XIII's great prayer was the St. Michael prayer, and it was prayed after all the liturgies, and the fruit of the Holy Father's mystical experience spread throughout the whole world. To this day, it is recited in some churches at the end of the liturgy. In my home parish here at St. Luke, we just now started doing this about a year ago, and it gives you a lot of strength, I can tell you that much, and all the, especially when you hear all the school kids praying at after mass, at the school mass, and the whole church is filled with those little voices invoking St. Michael. So how did that come about? Well, on October 13th of 1884, exactly 33 years before the miracle of the son of Fatima, so this is even before Fatima, Pope Leo XIII received a chilling vision that left a clear mark on his pontificate, and decades later became the key to interpreting the many horrors of the 20th century. So even though it was long ago, that's the other thing we have to keep in mind, that many times things are set in motion, not because it's for our own times, and nowadays perhaps the Marian apparitions are more like that, but many of the earlier apparitions in these last two centuries foretold the times that we live in now, and so things are put into motion to help counter the things from getting as bad as they could be getting, and also to remedy the things that are the root causes, like communism and things like that, you know, as the Blessed Mother said at Fatima, that Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, and that's what we're seeing with communism growing and growing, and even unfortunately in our own country, something I thought I'd never see, people being taught that communism, socialism, which is the first step to communism, history is repeating itself. People are falling for those lies, those falsehoods, they're being taught openly, and people are very confused, my friends. They need the light to shine, because they have no idea, even though it's history, we know what will happen if communism starts to reign even more, and socialism rears its head once again, and into our own country, and it's because people are being convinced that this is the true way to live. They are putting God aside and deciding that socialism sounds like the best way for everybody to live, and yet they don't look far enough to see, not too long ago, the effects that socialism and communism have. In fact, I'm not very good with all the world events, but when I looked at Venezuela, and I started to see how quickly it declined from a beautiful, prosperous country, to one under tyranny, and socialism, and how it's just been destroyed. On average, the people who live there have lost 15 pounds because of the food shortages, because the material goods, all the things, it's all controlled by the government, and the atrocities that are happening there. Yet, many people say, you know, this is the way to be, and they talk about Cuba, and the socialism there, and the communism, and how the people there are better off than we are here in the United States, and my friends, it's just not true. And yet, they want to believe it, and they do believe it, because the lie is told by their teachers, by perhaps even their parents, who don't know enough, to know that the end of socialism, and the end of communism, is the end of God and our life, at least our public life, and can destroy the world. So, we have lots of work to do, a lot of prayer to do, and so, as Pope Leo XIII, was, all those things were revealed to him, the remedy was given to him as well, and that is the Saint Michael Prayer. So, this is what happened with him. After celebrating Holy Mass in one of the Vatican's private chapels, the Holy Father was standing on the steps of the altar, when his face suddenly turned gray, and in an instant, he collapsed unconscious to the ground. For five minutes, he lay motionless. Then, upon regaining consciousness, the Pope turned to the prelates, who had rushed to his side and said, Oh, what terrible images I have been permitted to see. The subject of his apparition was the next hundred years, during which Satan would be allowed free reign over the world. We do not know the details of Leo XIII's vision, but we do know that he saw the great moral and spiritual damage that would afflict the world and the Church herself in the 20th century, in our lifetime. He was deeply shocked and moved by what he saw, and so the Pope rushed to his office and composed a prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, which all priests would be required to recite at the end of Mass. And so, there are different versions of Saint Michael. There is a longer version that has tones of exorcisms and things like that, but the popular Saint Michael Prayer that is prayed after Mass has become more prevalent. More priests are bringing it back. More bishops are requesting that their priests pray it after every Mass, because it is so powerful. So, Second Vatican Council removed the obligation to actually pray the prayer, but the prayer is still said in some churches. The prayer to Saint Michael may seem strange to us today. Its direct references to battles with evil spirits and Satan tend to awaken a sense of unease. Yet, this prayer is not only an authentic devotion, but also an efficacious exorcism. So, very, very powerful. A simple prayer, capable of curtailing the devil's destruction and repelling all evil attacks. For evidence, consider what happened when this prayer was suppressed in 1964. Only a few years later, all kinds of social pathologies and moral distortions have been written into law. Pornography entered into the mainstream. Birth control abuse skyrocketed, and abortion became legal in many countries. So, sometimes we don't know the evil that is being held at bay until that protection is removed from us, and then we see that the evil that is being held at bay, only too late, the power of that prayer, the power of the rosary, the power of penance, the power of returning to God and amending our lives. So, this is something that happened a century ago, but at the same time is unfolding in our own lives, and we see how farther it has been pushed since that vision by Pope Leo XIII. So, this prayer is the Archangel, of course, and he's Prince of the Heavenly Host, and he's the defender of the Catholic Church. So, each angel, each saint, each, you know, different saints have different jobs, so to speak, you know, different causes, different, they're patrons of different things, like, for instance, March is the month of Saint Joseph, and he is patron of the University of New York, and he is patron of the Universal Church, and so the defender of the Catholic Church is Saint Michael. So, you know, they're working together, but when we call on those patrons, like the patroness of the United States is our Blessed Mother, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, that holds great power, my friends. It's not given lightly, with these are inspired, these are titles that mean so much. If you think about the Marian Apparitions, each time when people, the seers ask them, who are you? It's a different title, you know, and that title helps to confirm belief in certain dogmas, Marian dogmas, especially in the Catholic faith, or reveal different parts and different ways that heaven is working in our times. So when, at Fatima, she said, Our Lady of the Rosary, after she shows them the hell where poor sinners are going, she talks about wars, and wars that are to come, and even in the third secret, the death of the Pope. So all of these things go under what is the remedy? Our Lady of the Rosary. And so Saint Michael, in 1884, came forward through the power of heaven to help the church, to help the world, to stave off these scourges, this evil. And yet, when we stop praying that prayer after every Mass around the world, evil reared it. It took advantage of that gap, and it filled it with very terrible things. So when we get back, because we're going to take a little bit of a break, I'll talk more about a vision, the vision that was foretold, and what it means to us in our day, and what we are called to do. Because even though this is 1884, we are living the effects of the evil that was let in. And now we have to fight it even more strongly. And how do we do that? Well, with Saint Michael the Archangel, of course, and with Our Lady of the Rosary, and with the Scapular. When heaven gives a promise that someday, through the Rosary and the Scapular, the world will be saved, and that the Immaculate Heart will triumph in the end, we can believe it. But we have to work to make that happen. And that's our job, that's our privilege, that's our honor, and we are warriors for Christ. And Our Blessed Mother is calling us in Saint Michael. He's not only Prince of the Heavenly Host, He is leading us into this great battle. This is Mary Piper with Marian Apparitions. We'll be back right after this message. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us this hour and at the hour of our death. Amen. Gentle Mother, quiet night, morning star, quiet night. Gentle Mother, peaceful dawn, peace of mind. You were chosen by the Father. You were chosen for the Son. You were chosen from all the heavens, and for the man, shining Lord. Gentle Mother, quiet night, morning star, quiet night. Gentle Mother, peaceful dawn, peace of mind. Blessed are you among women. Blessed winter of heaven and tree. Blessed day with peaceful light. Gentle Mother, quiet night, morning star, quiet night. Gentle Mother, peaceful dawn, peace of mind. You are listening to Radio Maria, a Catholic voice in your home. We now return to Marian Apparitions with your host, Mary Piper. Welcome back, everyone. She is a gentle woman. She is our Mother. She's Queen of Heaven, and she's right in the middle of the battle for our souls and the souls of all those from centuries before and centuries to come. She is our Mother, and she is the woman clothed with the Son, and so the battle rages. We're going to go a little more into St. Michael the Archangel, who is always at her side, and the battle that we face now, and how it unfolded all the way back in 1881 was a big significant time for things to, well, for heaven to open up and let the world know through the Pope, Pope Leo XIII, that times, evil times were coming, and that we needed to do something to stop them. And so we hear about St. Michael the Archangel, and after he had his vision, he was given that prayer, but it all kind of started, actually, because he was known as the Rosary Pope. I always thought Pope John Paul II was, and he was, because he also introduced five new mysteries, the luminous mysteries, but this Pope Leo XIII, he was actually known as the Rosary Pope. His influence over the world at that time was very far-reaching, even though we didn't have modern means of communications, there was no Radio Maria, there was no radio, there was no TV, and so to have that kind of influence actually is another sign of the supernatural grace that is given. And so in his pontificate, before 1884, there was very little said about the Rosary, but he was very influenced by the Rosary, and he brought it to his pontificate, because he also saw that it was a way to, as in the past with St. Dominic, to end heresies, to reestablish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the re-Christianization of society, and that in itself would heal wounds and bring people together and unite them. So the second piece of evidence that Mary's role in Leo XIII's vision is the influence she had on his pontificate, both before and after. It is no coincidence that the same Pope who saw a vision of Satan's hundred-year rule wrote as many as twelve encyclicals about Mary. I think that's more than Pope John Paul II. More specifically about the Rosary. In fact, Leo XIII so persistently promoted the Rosary as the way to God through Mary that he became known as the Rosary Pope. Leo XIII's first encyclical on the Rosary was published in 1883. A year later, by the time of his vision, he had managed to write another encyclical and an apostolic letter on the Rosary. So heaven has put this in his heart, and he is consumed and is given all these great inspirations and is able to have these documents. So it's a great way to prepare everyone for what is about to come. One gets the impression that these texts open the way for the Pope's vision. The Holy Mother saw in Leo XIII her zealous devotee who, if properly guided, could help save the church from Satan's attack. So one person, you know, and it's been said that the Lord revealed to mystics that if I had one devout disciple, one apostle per country, I could save that whole country. And we've seen it from time to time. And so this was the chosen instrument of heaven, Pope Leo XIII. And that zealousness that God gave him, that great desire to spread the Rosary, to know its worth, to know the value, to know its power. So the church benefited greatly, and so did the world. The texts that the Holy Father wrote after his vision were so edifying and lucid, one might think they were divinely inspired, which they are, right? When you go back and you see, you know, when you're reading something, you can always tell when it's divinely inspired, I think, just because there's so many ways that the Lord reaches into your heart and your soul and into your life through one simple, you know, it could be a phrase, it could be a sentence, it could be a passage, but it just resonates. So you know that you know in your knower, as our Father Duane used to say. And so there's that deep knowing because it's the Christ in us that recognizes the Christ in writings, as well as people. So let's look a little bit closer into Leo XIII's teachings on the Rosary, because it's great to know that he had a great zealous and belief in the power of the Rosary, but let's see what he was inspired to say and to write. By the will of God, Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God. For mercy and truth were created by Jesus Christ. Thus, as no man goeth to the Father, but by the Son, so no man goeth to Christ, but by his mother. So that's pretty shocking for 1881, because you know, consecration to Jesus through Mary, that was made very, very popular by St. Louis de Montfort and Pope John Paul II, totus tuus, right? Totally yours, Blessed Mother. He felt the same way, Pope Leo XIII, and he not only felt that way and lived his life and his pontificate that way, but he wrote about it. That is why we must turn to Mary and ask for her help and care. The best way to approach Christ by his mother is the Rosary, because, quote, more than any other means, it can impederate from God the help which we need, and it is most opportune for the needs of these times. For this reason, Leo XIII, quote, desired to revive everywhere this devotion and to spread it far and wide among the faithful of the world. Additionally, the Pope writes the Rosary as a means of revealing the mysteries of the faith. It is a great tool. The Rosary offers an easy way to present the chief mysteries of the Christian religion and to impress them upon the mind, and it affords to faithful souls a wonderful confirmation of faith, protection against the disease of error, and increase of the strength of the soul. So contemplating the mysteries of the Rosary, it gets rid of all, it dissipates the shadows of ignorance, and it diminishes our risk of falling into error. And that is why missionary priests, through Radio Maria, I have had the honor and privilege of meeting many missionary priests, especially over in Africa and in many areas that there are not a lot of Christians and not a lot of Catholics. And what is the one thing that they want the most? They want Rosaries. So we have a fifth grade Rosary club here at St. Luke, and every year, I think last year we made over 2,000, almost 2,100 Rosaries. And those Rosaries, when I would go to the meetings in Rome, I would bring a whole 50 pounds of Rosaries because you have a 50 pound limit. So my whole suitcase was pretty much Rosaries. And I would put them out on the tables. And literally, the priest would fight over them. No, I need them more. I need them more. And I asked them why they were so valuable to them. And they said, because my people are so poor, they can't read, they can't write. So even if I had a Bible and I gave it to them, it would be nothing. But these Rosaries are something that they can carry with them, knowing that the Mother of God is watching over them, knowing that her son Jesus loves them. And by teaching them how to pray the Rosary and what the mysteries are, it's like a gospel on a string. So instead of opening a book and preaching from there, which they do, the Bible and the Scriptures, but they also teach them how to pray the Rosary and how to meditate on those mysteries. And my friends, when you meditate on the Rosary, even if you don't really know a whole lot other than that particular Rosary, or maybe you can't read and you don't know Scripture, or it hasn't been evangelized in your area yet, it's not very common, which is happening more and more in the U.S., well, when you actually open your heart and you pray, then Heaven reveals and inspires you to have certain Even the learned do not understand this, but the poor do. And that's because the Lord reaches out to them in a very special way. And He does the same with all of us. When we open our hearts and we sincerely ask and to be given insights into His joyful time here on earth, being born, and then also His luminous mysteries where He's being the light to the world and teaching us how to live, how to be a disciple, how to follow Him. And then even the sorrowful mysteries, which we're kind of steeped in right now during Lent, how even in the midst of great sorrows, the hope of God shines through, the light of Christ, the Savior of the world is still there for us, that we are saved by Him and through Him. And then the glorious mysteries, what awaits us when we are done with this life? What is Heaven for? And who will be there? Well, when you think about it, how amazing it is that on that little bead that we can really meditate a whole lifetime, even on one or two of the mysteries, and all the things that God will reveal to our hearts so that we can enter into those mysteries and know His love, not just for all humanity, but for you and for me personally. So, Pope Leo, that's what he knew and that's what he found, even though he was very learned, that by praying the Rosary, he could enter into these mysteries in ways that books can't do, because it's the inspiration of the Lord into your heart. So, he really realized that the world needed it, the world needed the Rosary, and so did the Church. Leo XIII even argues that piously reciting the Rosary can heal the wounds of entire societies. For social evils such as these, let us seek a remedy in the Rosary, for we are convinced that the Rosary, if devoutly used, is bound to benefit not only the individual, but society at large. For this reason, he urges, with all possible earnestness, strive by the recitation of the Rosary to aid both yourself individually and the Church in her needs. So, we are the Church, my friends, and the Church is suffering right now and going through all kinds of trials and tribulations, maybe some that have never been, you know, have never been touched before, but we are here and we are called to come to the aid of the Church. And it doesn't just mean in our area, but as Pope Leo said, he believes and I believe as well that the benefit is not only for us, but for society at large, and that means here in the United States and all over the world. So, here's the conclusion of the Hundred Year Vision, and the things that he has written bear this out. Now, remember, he wrote these things before he had the vision. So, Heaven is so amazing. It brings forth so many things to repair our hearts so that, just imagine, if we read those words and we found those words of Pope Leo and we actually did what he said and we picked up our Rosary and we prayed with earnestness for our own salvation, for our own, you know, health and all the different things, but then also for our society and our world, well then already those graces are flowing into the world. And then he has this vision. So, the final piece of evidence for Mary's role in Pope Leo XIII's vision is the date given at the end of Satan's extraordinary power, which is 1984. Well, guess what? Heaven knows what they're doing. Dates do matter, because that year John Paul II consecrated Russia and the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, despite Satan's best efforts to the contrary. So, he was up against tremendous odds, and yet he was able to do that in 1984. So, when that happened, that set in motion all kinds of things in the unseen world all around us. Immediately, an unexpected transformation occurred in countries possessed by evil. So, we've got to connect the dots, and here are the dots. In 1987, John Paul II declared a Marian year, which accelerated the conversion of Russia foretold by Our Lady of Fatima. Two years later, the era of Soviet Communism ended, and within 10 years, 87 dictatorial governments collapsed. The Berlin Wall fell, and Eastern and Central Europe were liberated from Communism. Pretty amazing, isn't it? It's also worth noting the uncanny, some would say diabolical, coincidences that occurred during the consecration, and nearly prevented it from occurring. So, if you haven't heard this, it's pretty cool when you start connecting all the dots, right? And if you're just of the world, and you are hearing this for the first time, you know, many people still don't know. So, spread this. The things that you learn at Radio Maria, here on this program and other programs, spread the light. Spread it to others, and you know, have them download the app so you can listen all the time, especially if you're interested in the battle for souls. Well, our priest director, Father Dan Rehill, has a half-hour program every Monday through Friday. And Friday, you can even call in. He's an exorcist, and you can ask him questions. So, it's 9 o'clock Central Time, 10 o'clock Eastern Time. And if you have the app, the podcasts are there, so you can listen to it any time. So, diabolical influences are ramping up in our world today. But here's some of the things that coincidences, and there's no such thing as coincidence, that occurred during the consecration and nearly prevented it from occurring. First was the attempted assassination of John Paul II on May 13th of 1981. And that, of course, is the feast day or the anniversary of the first apparition to the three shepherd children in Fatima. John Paul himself credited his survival to Our Lady of Fatima. Then there were the incomplete consecrations of Russia and the world in 1952 and 1982. In 1984, during the complete consecration, the Pope's microphone inexplicably failed during the most important moment of the act of consecration recited by him. But he completed the consecration nonetheless, and Sister Lucia, who was still alive, confirmed that it satisfied Our Lady's request. So, we here understand those technical difficulties because it never fails. Poor Father Dan, he has more than his share of technical difficulties during his program, with good reason. So, that happens quite frequently here. And it's frustrating, but at the same time, to me, it's an indication that what is being taught over the airwaves, what is being prayed over the airwaves, what is being consumed by so many people, so many hungry souls, that the devil wants to thwart that any way that he can. But nevertheless, we always persevere. So, during that time, the media was reluctant to discuss the role of Mary and the act of consecration. So many people didn't even know about it. And then they, of course, didn't want to link the transformations that occurred around the world to that consecration. Well, because they didn't want people turning back to God, right? They wanted them to keep steeped in the materialism and the here and now. And at that point in time, it was still very fashionable to not believe in the devil, that it was just, it wasn't really an entity. It was just a word that we used to embody all the evil in the world. But he is real, and there is a battle, and there is connections and transformations that occur in the world, both good and evil. Journalists focused only on the dramatic events of this period, the rise of solidarity in Poland, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. Nobody asked about the cause of these miracles, and they are miracles, my friends, but we know the truth. The great struggle of the 20th century has been won, but Mary's battle with the enemy has not come to an end. In fact, my friends, I would say that that battle is heating up, and we only have to look to things that, once again, are happening on the world stage, especially with abortion, transgender ideology, all these things that we could have never foretold, even back in 1984. And Pope John Paul II, before he was actually Pope and he came to the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia and gave an address as the Archbishop of Krakow, said that much of the wider society of America doesn't understand what is taking place, but he did, and he tried to warn us. So where are we? We are safely in the arms of our mother, who was sent to us by none other than her son, none other than the Father, none other than the Holy Spirit, to combat the evil of our time. And so right now, yesterday we started a new form of that combat, and it's a prayer of the nine-month novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Cardinal Burke has suggested and has enthusiastically requested that everyone, especially in the United States, but all over the world, join together spiritually and pray this novena every day throughout the nine-month novena from March 12th to December 12th of 2024. And basically, it is taking a look at Our Blessed Mother as she came during the famous apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left for us a permanent sign, that sign, which was her image on the Toma of Juan Diego, converted millions of people. Millions of souls were saved because of that. And remember, the Aztec Indians and people in that culture were steeped in the evil of human sacrifice, of men, women, and children, and babies most particularly. The evils of that time mirror the evils of our time. So we're reaching out to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and we're going to end the program with this prayer. I urge you, it's all over the internet, in the back of churches people are making copies of it, and I urge you to pick that copy of that novena and pray that prayer every day. We are here to help Our Blessed Mother to win the battle so that Her Immaculate Heart will triumph and peace will be restored. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. O Virgin Mother of God, we fly to Your protection and beg Your intercession against the darkness and sin which evermore envelop the world and menace the Church. Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, gave You to us as our Mother as He died on the cross for our salvation. So too, in 1531, when darkness and sin beset us, He sent You, as Our Lady of Guadalupe, on Tatayac, to lead us to Him, who alone is our light and our salvation. Through Your apparitions on Tatayac and Your abiding presence with us on the miraculous mantle of Your messenger St. Juan Diego, millions of souls converted to faith in Your Divine Son. Through this novena and our consecration to You, we humbly implore Your intercession for our daily conversion of life to Him and the conversion of millions more who do not yet believe in Him. In our homes and in our nation, lead us to Him who alone wins the victory over sin and darkness in us and in the world. Unite our hearts to Your Immaculate Heart so that they may find their true and lasting home in the most sacred heart of Jesus. Ever guide us along the pilgrimage of life to our eternal home with Him. So may our hearts, one with Yours, always trust in God's promise of salvation, in His never-failing mercy toward all who turn to Him with a humble and contrite heart. Through this novena and our consecration to You, O Virgin of Guadalupe, lead all souls in America and throughout the world to Your Divine Son, in whose name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.