These messages to El Escorial visionary Amparo Cuevas
are somewhat different from the messages of the two
previous classifications in that the Blessed Mother presents a topic and
discusses it in detail. Consequently, she will give an abundance of
information on a particular theme. Some of the themes which she has
expounded are: impurity, the justice of God, the mystery of the Immaculate
Conception, the mystery of the maternity of Mary, consecrated souls,
suffering, and others.
In the message of December 8, 1984, Feast of the Immaculate Conception,
Our Lady shared this mystery of the Immaculate Conception with Amparo. She
stated: "Defend my purity, my children. When the mystery of God the Father
became flesh in my womb, there was no stain. It was purer and lighter than
the lily...Remember that your mother was pure before and after, my child.
The ray of the sun entered my womb and there my Son was formed. It was the
mystery of His divine majesty, my children. My purity is a special gift
which God, my Creator, granted to me, my children... Only the angels know the
mystery of the Incarnation. of my purity, of my humility on earth, and of
my charity toward human beings."
By way of summary, it is appropriate to say that the messages, which the
visionary Amparo Cuevas has received from our Blessed Mother for the past
17 plus years, are unique in their simplicity and complexity. They discuss
or relate the major concerns, which the Queen of Heaven and earth has with
respect to the spiritual decadence, which afflicts our society and is
gradually gnawing at its moral fiber. The messages provide us with a
wealth of information Marian spirituality as well as episodes on the lives
of Jesus and Mary with numerous details not found in the Bible.
Finally, the messages present us with the challenges of conversion and a
spiritual rebirth which will enable us to establish the basis of a
spiritual life designed to prepare us to meet our Creator.
As with all the messages and apparitions, they are still on-going and
Amparo continues to offer her suffering as a victim soul as her small part
in fulfilling Our Lord and Our Lady's request for sacrifice, penance and
prayer.
Therefore as we experience this Lenten season, first let us all
concentrate through a thorough examination of conscience how much do we
really want to be transformed through a total conversion of heart by the
grace of the Holy Spirit. Just how much are we willing to give back to God
who has given All to us?
After this examination of conscience, a good, holy Confession should
follow, which disposes the soul to follow Jesus and ask Him: "What do you
want me to do, Lord?" "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth" (1 Kings 3:9).
In the silence of our being, Jesus will fill us with that supernatural
knowledge of what He wishes of each one of us at that moment. Where and
how do each one of us make sacrifice for Him? In what spirit of sacrifice
do we commence? our journey home to God? We know now that it's a
life-long process, not just something we "have to do" during a mere 40 days
of Lent. Now, when we prepare properly, we understand in our soul that
"sacrifice" which incorporates prayer and penance, is absolutely necessary
every single day our lives.
The true spirit of sacrifice is to desire with our whole being to subdue
the human ego, passions, desires, intellect, and senses. Only then can we
permit the Holy Spirit to bring alive the intellect of the soul, which then
predominates and keeps under control all the human weaknesses of which we
are subject to due to Original Sin.
Over and over in Holy Scripture, in the messages of Our Lord and His
Blessed Mother to messengers and visionaries throughout the ages, the
repeated phrase from Heaven is: "Pray, Pray, Pray!" Prayer is the link to
God which keeps us focused, helps us to willingly submit to God's Perfect
Will, to dismiss our will as nothing.
For each on their journey to God, the manner and degree of sacrifice will
vary according to God' plan of life for that person. That is why one must,
through prayer, Confession and Holy Communion, seek to discern properly
that which God seeks of each one of us. Into each person's life, God sends
help through holy people, priests and lay, who, by God's grace, help to
point out the way we are to proceed. Who could be a better teacher than
our very own Holy Father Pope John Paul II? We don't really realize how
blessed we are in this day and age.
When his Holiness and others come into our life, do we listen, learn, and
go forward? Or do we dismiss them, seeking the easy way out, the
comfortable way of lukewarmness? Remember what God says in the Apocalypse/
Revelation 3:16: "But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am
about to vomit thee out of My mouth." Do we reject these holy persons
because they tweak our conscience and make us realize that change is
demanded of us by God if we are going to be with Him for all Eternity?
We've all failed at one time or another. We've misused God's graces,
ignored them, and rebuked the holy people He sent our way...and we've gone on
our merry way, oblivious of whom we've hurt especially ourselves. But at
every moment, Jesus knocks at the door of our heart, no matter how much we
may have hurt Him. That's Love! Do we answer the knock, or slam the door
even tighter, and slip a dead-bolt lock on it?
Lent is the perfect time to unlock the bolt and open the door. Even if we
just crack it enough for Jesus to get His toe in. If we give Him some
daylight, He'll shed His Light. Once we see His foot with the nail wound,
we'll want to see His hands and His side at Saint Thomas the Apostle sought,
and, hopefully from there to see His face - the loving, kind and merciful
eyes of Our Savior and feel the warmth of His Sacred Heart. Once we
experience this, we will have an "open door" policy. Guaranteed. We will
willingly seek out ways to make sacrifices every single day and we can do
so in so many ways that will please God and cause Him to shower down His
graces on us, our family, friends and all who are in need of His graces.
That basically covers everyone!
Next Installment: Conclusion