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...in order to form a more perfect union...

      That perfect union between Father and Son was necessary for our salvation and Jesus had the most perfect union between Son and Mother as any human could. Union was what He sought to form with His dear friend Lazarus and the Holy Women who were so loyal to Him. Thus, before He would form the union of the Apostles through the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, He spent the last days at Lazarus' home as is illustrated in part one of Meditative Lesson 4: THE TIMELESS ROLES OF LAZARUS AND THE HOLY WOMEN. These lessons were imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart by Our Lord and His Blessed Mother during Lent of 1995. Now in Lent of 1998, we bring them to the reader in order to help us form a perfect union with Him. Click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"

Dear Father, Our Lady bids me to continue.  She tells me that our world - all mankind - faces the gravest chastisement ever allowed by God.  She is a Mother who ceaselessly pleads for all of her children.  She expresses this to me in the words "constantly weeping" for all of her children.  She wants us to understand how much we are all loved, and how little we respond to that love.

      Having tested the Voice I proceed as directed.  Again, I understand that our Blessed Mother wants these lessons/meditations printed so that all of her little ones might be strengthened in the time of great darkness—the apostasy, schism, heresy and blasphemy which already cover the face of the earth.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."
Matthew 5: 3

      It is late.  The moon is high and only a few night sounds fill the air, still war after the heat of the day.  This is Lazarus’ house, and it is bathed in moonlight and all within appear to be at rest.

      But not all, for I see that a small side gate leading into the enclosure of the flower garden opens.  It is Jesus who proceeds slowly, calmly into the place of peace and beauty.  He has on a white tunic and the faint moonlight highlights the sorrow upon His holy face which appears to  me to grow deeper, so as to be etched upon His face. His eyes, however, are clear, calm.  A veritable ocean of heavenly peace.

      Scarcely has he passed into the garden then another figure appears and follows our Lord’s own footsteps.  It is Lazarus.  He is of medium build, and not as tall as Jesus.  He has placed about his shoulders a lightweight mantle of dark color, as if he desired to be seen by no one other than Jesus.

      They meet, the Master and His faithful servant.  Lazarus’ face is filled with loving respect for Jesus.

      "The household rests," Lazarus informs Jesus.  "All are asleep except..."

      "Do not say the name, Lazarus.  I know he is not here."  Jesus’ sigh would melt the most hardened heart and Lazarus also bows his head, so as not to speak.  I understand it is Judas Iscariot of whom they speak, though they utter few worlds.

      "I have asked you to come now, my beloved disciple, that I might speak to you more freely."

      "Whatever I can do, Master.  You now that."

      "I know, Lazarus.  Your heart is pure and gives me solace."

      "Then remain here."

      "I cannot.  You know I must fulfill the Father’s will."

      "I - O! Master, I feel so helpless."

      "No, Lazarus, you have a very important mission at this appointed time.  I desire you to make your home a safe haven, a refuge for my apostles, even my disciples who, in the first hours and days of the sufferings I must endure will scatter like frightened birds pursued as wild prey."

      "Master, they may come here, always.  All I possess is Yours."

      "Truly, you have well understood My words concerning poverty and have always acted justly in the use of God’s providence.  Ah, Lazarus, in future generations you shall be the example for all upon whom the Father grants earthly riches.  Your life shall be for them a beacon to lead them in the way of abandonment and detachment.  Now as never before your very riches will serve as a shield against My enemies, and by your just life not even the High Priest and his cohorts shall touch you.  Therefore, yours is a place of safe refuge, holy and chaste.  Here I ask you to keep watch in the fateful hour and, through your faithful servants and your  holy sisters, to gather those whom fear puts to flight.

      "To you Jerusalem is open and the doors of many are not barred to you.  To your chaste ears good hearts will whisper where by flock has scattered, and you, my beloved servant, will gather them here until they can once more find unity through faith and prayer."

      "I will do it, Master.  You know that.  But,--"

      "Speak freely, Lazarus.  Your heart is open to Me."

      "May I not also be with You at that dreadful hour?  May I not stand and give witness in your favor?"

      "Lazarus, at that  hour only the voices of hell shall have speech.  The whole of Heaven shall remain mute, and the just shall cry out from their hearts, not with their voices.  My Father shall hear, and gather such faith unto Himself, that in all ages to come the voices of the demons shall be drowned out by the pure voice of faithful love."

      Lazarus accepts his role in perfect obedience and presses Jesus’ hands against his own.

      "My Lord, I do not know all that will follow.  But I a not afraid.  I died once and You, in Your merciful love, brought me back to life.  If, now, by my obedience, I can help to preserve the light among the people you have called, then I am willing to die again and again to assist You, Who are my Lord and God."

      "Your loving faith deserved the miracle, Lazarus.  And because those of the Temple witnessed My power over death, and can not dispute it, they shall kill Me in a futile attempt to remove Me from their lives and their hideous, evil power.  Speak to my disciples often of the miracle granted you, that all may believe that by My death, life itself triumphs.  All who believe in Me, who follow after My footsteps shall also rise as you did—but in Heaven in eternal glory."

      "And Your Mother?  I should wish Her to remain here also."

      "My Mother, along with certain of the holy women, will be with Me, that in all future generations mankind will recognize and respond to that role designed for woman from all eternity.  For women, strength lies in their open, loving hearts.  They are models of pure, chaste love.  And this the world will learn as I die in agony upon the cross and the women, with My Mother, are present.  No, I need you to be here.  Here is where you serve Me.  I am always with you, Lazarus.  You are my treasure.  I bless you. Let us go now to our rest.  The apostles, along with the women, will leave with Me for Jerusalem tomorrow."

      Lazarus kneels and Jesus blesses him and then, together, they leave the garden and return to the house, where the silence of the night covers all.

NEXT INSTALLMENT: Part Two of Lesson 4: Our Lady's meditation on THE TIMELESS ROLES OF LAZARUS AND THE HOLY WOMEN

The Message of El Escorial is the Message of Lent...of Life

     We conclude this nine part series on the apparitions of El Escorial, Spain which began during the same time frame as Betania and Medjugorje and has received little publicity. Yet, like Medjugorje and Betania, El Escorial is still going on and is as important as the others for Our Lady comes as Nuestra Senora de los Dolores - "Our Lady of Sorrows" to call all her children back to her Divine Son Jesus through Prayer, Penance and Sacrifice in atonement for our own sins and those of the entire world. God's chosen messenger to receive these and impart them to the world is a housewife and mother of seven Luz Amparo Cuevas a visionary who has suffered much producing plentiful fruits. For part nine of The Apparitions at El Escorial, Spain and the researcher of this project Juan Gonzalez in the Conclusion, click on THE AGE OF MARIAN APPARITIONS.

Conclusion.

      Over the past few months we have presented a beautiful, little known apparition outside of Madrid that parallels Medjugorje in time frame. We are grateful to Juan Gonzalez of Houston, Texas, a retired professor of Linguistics, for providing us the inside story of the extraordinary El Escorial visionary Amparo Cuevas and the messages imparted to her by the Blessed Virgin Mary. Like us and so many others, Juan relates that his conversion experience came about in Medjugorje. For him it came on the feast of the great scholar of the Church Saint Thomas Aquinas on March 7, 1988 (the old commemoration of his feast; it is now celebrated on January 28th). Juan has since returned to Our Lady's special Oasis of Peace four times, but none had the impact of his first visit. With teeth chattering on a cold March evening, Juan was among thousands who trekked up Apparition Hill for the message from the Blessed Mother to visionary Ivan Dragicevic and his prayer group. Juan translated the message for the English-speaking pilgrims and, as he descended Podbrdo, he remembers having the moving experience: "Something beautiful came over me and I knew then and there what I was to do and I committed my life to consecrating the talents God had given me to the Blessed Mother."

      Juan has since dedicated his life to translating many works and messages in five different languages into English. And that brought him to El Escorial and the massive project he undertook out of zeal and love on the apparitions in El Escorial, Spain which we have detailed in these pages over the last two months. He has over 2000 pages on the messages to Amparo and is praying for a publisher in God's time. If any one knows of a publisher who is willing to take on this inspiring work, please contact us at the DAILY CATHOLIC and we will put you in touch with Juan. He is a very private person and, in respect for that, we do not give out his address and phone number except on a need-to-know basis. He retired in the summer of 1995 from his teaching position at Texas Southern University to spend more time with his loving wife Juanita and enjoy being a grandfather for his four children Juan Jr., 34, Rosa, 32; Carlos, 29; and Jose, 22. He also has been using this time to work on an extensive project regarding the Divine Will. Juan, you will remember, translated many of noted French Mariologist Father Rene Laurentin's books about Medjugorje and one on San Nicolas.

      Once Juan heard of El Escorial, he was hooked and made several journeys to learn more about the visions and the messages and their meaning in today's world. It prompted him to begin taking notes and have the opportunity to discover who Amparo was and her life. Amparo is now a 68 year-old housewife and loving mother who has been receiving messages from Our Lord and His Blessed Mother since 1981. What started as a curiosity became a crusade to get the word out that Our Lady is asking all for self-sacrifice through prayer, penance and sacrifice. Our Lady calls herself Nuestra Senora de los Dolores - Our Lady of Sorrows and has appeared to Amparo as more beautiful than words can describe. In the mid-eighties she described to the best of her ability how Mary looked and master Madrid artist Professor dona Elvira Soriano transfered that to canvas, depicting how the Blessed Virgin appeared while his Holiness Pope John Paul II was in Spain for his pastoral trip. Our Lady, dressed in papal robes, held a fifteen-decade Rosary in her right hand and displayed a large pix of the Blessed Sacrament around her neck cupped in her right hand. It was a unique portrait of the Mother of God which has never been seen but represented so much for she is the Mother of the Church and her words in the message to Amparo said volumes when she said, "My child, ask everyone to pray very much for my beloved son Pope John Paul II." She emphasized the need to come to her Divine Son Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in her words, "I ask you to approach the Sacrament of Convession and of the Holy Eucharist. It is very important to receive the Body of Christ to give you strength to fight against the enemy."

      Like Lourdes, Medjugorje and Betania, the elderly, handicapped and infirm flock to the site in Prado Nuevo, a section northwest of Madrid, Spain and partake of the healing water where countless souls have been healed spiritually. Pilgrims from all over the world gather for the First Saturday visions at the Ash Tree where the Mother of God often appeared to Amparo and to pray at the Shrine to Our Lady of Sorrows. The messages over the past eighteen years have been permeated with the theme of our need to do penance, pray and sacrifice. It is the same message she has been bringing to visionary Maria Esperanza de Bianchini in Betania where Our Lady first appeared before her coming to El Escorial, and to the visionaries of Medjugorje where she appeared shortly after her first appearance to Amparo. So you see, El Escorial is sandwiched, so to speak, between Betania and Medjugorje and all three are still on-going. Our Lady has said at all three places and to countless other chosen messengers that her messages will end soon. Why has she been so insistent on repeating the message of prayer, penance and sacrifice? Because our world today has forgotten what sacrifice means; forgotten how to pray and why; forgotten the necessity of penance. We are, in a word, spoiled. Our Lady, like a loving, caring mother, comes to straighten us out and like any human matriarch, repeats over and over her words until hopefully it will sink in and we "get with the program." If we don't, well then we can consider ourselves in big trouble with the Big Guy upstairs - more affectionately known to all of us as God the Father - Abba or Daddy. He can be stern, but He is also loving and Merciful. He sent His Only-begotten Son to redeem us and He sends His pure daughter to remind us. That is why the messages of El Escorial are so important; that is why we have devoted nine installments to this lesser-known but equally important apparition; that is why we appropriately end this in Lent for her messages embody the meaning of Lent - the meaning of life!

Italian Cardinal is a papal diplomat who was in the eye of the needle in helping bring down the iron curtain

     Today we continue with this new series that we will bring you on a regular basis three times a week. Our twenty-sixth red hat we feature, in alphabetical order, is the 74 year-old Cardinal Francesco Colasuonno. This Italian prelate has been been part of the Holy See's diplomatic corp for over forty years including valuable service in Poland and the USSR during the pivotal time of the fall of communism. For more on this Italian cardinal appointed by Pope John Paul II in his most recent Consistory of February 21, 1998, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION

26.   Cardinal Francesco Colasuonno

      A diplomat from the beginning, Cardinal Francesco Colasuonno, now 74, was born on January 2, 1925 in Grumo Appulia, Italy and at only 22 years-old became a priest in the Archdiocese of Bari where the Archbishop assigned him as a professor at the seminary there for eleven years. In 1958 Pope Pius XII, in the last year of his pontificate, summoned Francesco to Rome to begin a career in the diplomatic corp, first as an assistatn in the section for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Secretariat of State and then to the post of Nunciature. After stints as Nunciature in the United States, India and then Taiwan, Pope Paul VI tabbed him to be ordained titular Archbishop of Truentum on December 6, 1974, assigning Archbishop Colasuonno to be the First Apostolic Delegate to Mozambique until 1981 when Pope John Paul II reassigned him as Apostolic Delegate to Zimbabwe. For a year's period between 1985 and 1986 he served as Apostolic Pro-nuncio to Yugoslavia before the Holy Father picked him to head the Holy See delegation for permanent working contacts with Poland - a special pet project of the Pope because it was his native homeland and breakthroughs were occurring politically that would usher in the fall of communism and bring about a free Poland once again. This translated in 1990 to his being selected in the same capacity to working with the Soviet Union until 1994 when the the red sickle was buried in the collapse of communism behind the iron curtain. The Pope reassigned Francesco to be Nuncio to Italy in 1994 to the present as well as San Marino a year later to the present. He was rewarded for his loyal and invaluable service to the Church and the Sovereign Pontiff by being elevated to the College of Cardinals in the most recent Consistory last February 21st.

      Cardinal Colasuonno is active in the Curia serving as a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches as well as the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Because of his age, it is highly unlikely he would be considered a papal possibility in the event of an election, but his background and knowledge of varied cultures and problems makes him eligible for consideration, especially if an Italian were to be considered as a compromise candidate.

Events Today in Church History

      It was on this date in 1431 that Pope Eugene IV was chosen the 207th successor of Peter, replacing the deceased Pope Martin V who had caused the Council of Basle to rule that Councils have more power than the Pope. In the long struggle during Eugene's papacy, he lost many battles but ultimately won the war and papal supremacy was forever established. For the canonical rule on this, see CATHOLIC CANVAS below. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for March 3:

• 536 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Titian, Bishop of Brescia who was born in Germany but little else is known about this saint.

• 561 A.D.
  
• Death of Pope Pelagius I, 60th successor of Peter. Born in Rome, he was elected on April 16, 556. His elevation to the papacy was influenced by the Eastern emperor Justinian since Rome was then a province of the Byzantine Empire. Pope Pelagius remained faithful to the principles of Catholic orthodoxy and had the Church of the Twelve Apostles built.

• 803 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Anselm of Nonantola, Benedictine abbot who came from royalty for his wife was the brother of the Lombard King Aistulph. But Anselm disdained the trappings of the world to embrace monasticism and found the abbey of Fanano outside Modena, Italy where he also built a hospital and sleeping quarters for pilgrims. When Aistulph was deposed by King Desiderius the latter punished his relatives, exiling Anselm to Monte Cassino but seven years later the great Charlemagne came into power and brought Anselm back to Nonantola where he lived out the rest of his life before dying on this date.

• 1431 A.D.
  
• Election of Cardinal Gabriele Condulmer as Pope Eugene IV, 207th successor of Peter. For more on this 207th successor of Peter we refer you to last week's installment of The History of the Mass and Holy Mother Church.

      Today is the 568th anniversary of the election of Pope Eugene IV who, at the 17th Ecumenical Council was able to convince the council that the Pope was supreme over the Council Fathers, a reverse of what had been determined at the Council of Constance. It was the breakthrough Rome needed to prevent the Catholic Church from becoming a democracy like the Protestant churches are and continuing the apostolic succession of Peter as head of the Church. This supremacy is outlined in Canon Law 331-335. The decree at Florence where the issue was finalized and recognized Eugene as the Supreme Pontiff, is further clarified in Canon Law article 338 which states, "It is for the Roman Pontiff alone to convoke an ecumenical council, to preside over it personally or through others, to transfer, suspend or dissolve it, and to approve its decrees. 2. It is for the same Roman Pontiff to determine matters to be treated in a council and to establish the order to be followed in a council; to the questions proposed by the Roman Pontiff the fathers of a council can add other questions, to be approved by the same Roman Pontiff. (source: Code of Canon Law, Canon Law Society of America)

    Dear children! Also today I am with you in a special way contemplating and living the passion of Jesus in my heart. Little children, open your hearts and give me everything that is in them: joys, sorrows and each, even the smallest, pain, that I may offer them to Jesus; so that with His immeasurable love, He may burn and transform your sorrows into the joy of His resurrection. That is why, I now call you in a special way, little children, for your hearts to open to prayer, so that through prayer you may become friends of Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.
For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE

Click here to go to SECTION TWO or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

March 3, 1999 volume 10, no. 43   DAILY CATHOLIC