SIGNS OF PRAYER Nº 12 / 2012 In this edition: DAILY MESSAGES FROM THE GREAt CELESTIAL KINGDOM page 02 The Scapulary of Peace page 10 The Apparitions of Mary and Her Universal Task page 04 Announcement 2 page 11 Editorial Teachings tell us that the number 12 refers to apostolate. May this be the path of these 12 SIGNS OF PRAYER in the apostolate of Our Master and Divine Mother. With this intention and as an offering let us continue for as long as She so wishes. In this number, on THE APPARITIONS OF MARY AND HER UNIVERSAL TASK, we begin a short series of articles about some of the historic apparitions of the Divine Mother. Read also the article about the SCAPULARY OF PEACE, one more gift from our Celestial Mother. From this month on we will include our ANNOUNCEMENTS in Signs of Prayer; we suggest that you consult the latest information therein. In Universal Love, Fraternity Prayer Network
Bird from the Sun Daily Messages From The Great Celestial Kingdom July 1 With your own hands make the bread that feeds the spirit in prayer. 2 Sheep who are born in prayer are taken to graze by the Samaritan. Guided by the Creator, be an instructor to your brothers and sisters. Forget about your own goals. 3 Divine Light becomes visible in redeemed consciousness. 4 Aspire to what is Above, forget what is below. 5 Be like the birds; keep flying in prayer high above. 6 Pray when you fall. Forgive all the causes by virtue of the spirit. 7 Forgiveness is a consequence of the mind that has been transformed. 8 Praying, in union with My Being, will open doors for those who are not yet saved. 9 Behave according to the Law; you will understand the rhythm as you pray. 10 When you are aware in prayer you awake in the spirit the flame of your faith, in the name of those who need the Creator. 11 A polished instrument in hands of the carpenter is oiled with prayer so it will work. 12 Before any action, listen in consciousness to the law of rhythm. 13 The fluid of Cosmic Fire is captured in the fluid of Divine Fire that underlies in the interior when one prays. 14 A soul consecrated in prayer is selfless in its actions and pardoned in its intentions. 2
15 When we pray we must express the truth of the Word with the pulse of the heart. 16 Receive today, from the Kingdom of the Angels, the impulse to transcend atavism. 17 In silence listen to the Inner Master. 18 A spiritual warrior is the consciousness that surmounts itself through its main instructors: his beloved brothers and sisters. 19 In prayer one finds three keys: Mercy for the Earth, Rehabilitation for the spirit and Love for the afflicted. 20 You hear the Cosmic bell when your higher being prays. 21 Once conquered by the Love of Christ, we radiate this love to everyone. 22 One reaches humility like crossing over the abyss; stepping on Absolute Faith. 23 Above all be respectful to those who guide the spirit. They will humbly open the door. 24 Praying is perpetual in the Councils of the Higher World. 25 The rescue of souls and of the light of the world is the result of conscious firmness in prayer. 26 Be like the ocean, an element that prays and worships God in the harmonious movement of its waves. 27 With Christ we exist, without Christ we sleep. 28 Cosmic light descends when we fully understand the strength of prayer. 29 Follow the footsteps the Master has left on the sand, they lead towards redemption. 30 We become part of the fluid of lights when we forget the terrestrial fluids of our actions. 31 Concentrate on the light of your spirit in prayer. From the book: Mensagens do Grande Reino Celeste, By Madre Shimani, www.irdin.org.br 3
The Apparitions of Mary and Her Universal Task Introduction In the political, social and historical context of each nation where Mary has manifested Herself, these apparitions have always taken on a regional character. Thus, these places appropriated themselves of the visiting Mother: Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, the Virgin of Guadalupe, etc. (It is our personal impression that She lovingly approved the surnames ). These events, outstanding in themselves and also from the point of view of devotion, took on a connotation of a local miracle. The places where Mary appeared became Centers of Pilgrimage. A closer view of these facts usually shows us that the Apparitions of the Virgin would always happen when humanity was going through very serious situations that were in need of the Divine help to come to some extent of balance. This will become more obvious as the stories of the apparitions are told to our readers. However, it is our intention with these studies to go on a pilgrimage around the planet with the Virgin in Her Apparitions, taking the focus away from the local aspect to the universality of Her Redeeming Mission. For example: at each Prayer Meeting, at each Apparition where we correspond with an open heart, the Divine Mother, that is always escorted by the angelical lineage, frees regions, cities and nations from dense and retrograde energies through a great work of planetary transmutation. Despite being a Divine Hierarchy that has always prepared our consciousness for the coming events through Her Messages, whenever She appears She always brings the Good News, hope and the way out, even for situations that seem hopeless. After all, She has called Herself the great Undoer of Knots, knots that have been tied by Her children. Lately Mary has asked for the restoration of christic universal symbols: rosaries, medals, scapularies (see Scapulary of Peace in the following article of this journal) sanctuaries, Marianne Centers and prayers. All of this has an inner meaning: the rosary has the power of activating the seeds of light left by Christ on Earth; the revitalizing of the Hail Mary because it is one of the most powerful prayers that exist, having been permeated by humanity with much hope and faith throughout the centuries. However, with few or no explanations to satisfy the intellect, going straight to the heart, and fulfilling those that She finds open, Mary indicates the symbols as instruments that may bring peace and confidence to Her children. Thus She is a Messenger and great Liberator, the One Who redeems our faults and heals our guilt. 4
Our Lady of Lujan It was the Divine Mother s manifested wish that there should be a Prayer Meeting in Argentina, and the indication was precise: it should be in Lujan; and so it happened on the 11th to 13th of last June. Lujan is a small town that grew around the most important sanctuary of Mary in the country. Its origin dates back to the year 1630 when a small chapel was built to venerate an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, brought from Brazil by request of a Portuguese called Antonio Farias de Sá. A friend of his accepted the task of bringing the image and as a gift decided to bring two images: one of the Virgin with Jesus as a boy and the other a dark skinned Immaculate Conception, made of terracotta. After a long journey, when they reached the margin of the Lujan river, he stopped to spend the night with his companions at a farm that belonged to a certain family. On the following day, a clear morning in the beginning of May, when they decided to go on with their journey, the oxen somehow could not move the wagon with the images. With the muleteers there was a slave called Manuel who, according to the story, at that moment, touched by the grace of God said: Sir, take one of the boxes off the wagon and let us see if the oxen can move. 5
This was done but to no avail, and the wagon did not move. The black man Manuel, (as he is still called in Lujan) then suggested: change the boxes and let us see what the mystery is. After this was done the oxen could easily move the wagon. Following a moment of silent surprise and deeply touched, people began to shout: Miracle! Miracle! The muleteers understood this to be a sign from the Heavens: Our Lady wanted to stay and be worshipped there. And so they left the image at the farm where the family sheltered Her. News of the extraordinary fact spread throughout the region and reached Buenos Aires, and a great number of people started to travel there in pilgrimage, devout people from several origins, mostly poor helpless people. As popular devotion increased, the farmer built a small chapel; and under the protection of the Divine Mother whose energy was anchored there, a settlement began to grow, mainly with humble peasants, and was called Village of Our Lady of Lujan. Year after year the number of pilgrims grew as well as the number of miracles by the maternal intervention of the Virgin Mother of God. In one of the ornaments on the image of the Virgin one can read the inscription: The Virgin of Lujan is the first founder of this village. In 1730 the local ecclesiastical authority created a parish at the village and decades later Our Lady of Lujan was crowned as Patron of Argentina. Manuel declared himself as eternal slave of the Virgin and was dedicated to looking after the image and everything that was related to Her cult until the end of his life. The story of the faithful devotion of Manuel is very beautiful, and he is considered a saint by those who are faithful to Our Lady and who attribute miracles to him up to this day, a fact that we could personally testify to in Lujan. It is appropriate to mention Manuel s statement: I BELONG TO THE VIRGIN, TO HER ALONE. In every Center of pilgrimage for Mary that we visited we could feel a characteristic special energy; it was no different in Lujan. In that sanctuary we were captivated by an essentially feminine energy, by the touch of humility, compassion, devotion, beauty and joy that the little dark skinned Virgin as She is tenderly called by the faithful has left there. 6
Our Lady of Aparecida In an Apparition last April, Mary asked Her prayers to go to the Sanctuary of Aparecida. And so we did. Before the magnitude of the Basilica (shrine), the devotion of the great number of faithful pilgrims that permanently flow to that place, it was impossible not to ask ourselves what was the mystery of that Mary, Our Lady Aparecida das Águas, as She used to be called. The story of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Aparecida has its beginning in mid 1717 when the Count of Assumar, D. Pedro de Almeida and Portugal, Governor of the Province of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, would be passing through Guaratinguetá. The local Council decided that the Count must try the fish from the Paraiba river. It was not a favorable time for fishing but the summons were read all over the countryside and the fishermen João Alves, Domingos Garcia and Felipe Pedroso got their nets and boats and set themselves to the difficult task. They rowed all night but caught nothing. At a certain moment, João Alves felt that his net had become heavy. Could it be fish? He drew in the net but no, it wasn t fish, it was the body of an image. But what about the head? Where was it? He put his finding at the bottom of the boat and they went on trying to catch some fish. 7
Suddenly, a darkened head came into the same fisherman s net. João Alves picked up the body from the bottom of the boat and put it next to the head. They fit perfectly. That could only be a miracle. They made the sign of the cross and wrapped the pieces in a cloth. They went on with their fishing, and there was so much fish that they feared the boats might not hold so much weight. Later Felipe Pedroso took home the image and during 15 years it remained with his family. His son Athanásio built a wooden altar and there he placed the Miraculous Image of the Lady of Aparecida. On Saturdays his neighbors, the humble local people, would gather to pray the rosary in Her devotion. On a certain occasion, while praying the rosary, two candles went out at the altar of Our Lady. One of the women who were there praying meant to light the candles, but they lit themselves up on their own, not having been touched by anyone, as a perfect miracle. Another significant prodigy is the untying of the chains from a slave s hands after he had implored for the protection of Our Lady of Aparecida. People grew in devotion and many graces were received by those who prayed in front of the image. The fame of the extraordinary powers of Our Lady spread throughout the other regions of Brazil. The family built a shrine that soon became too small. In 1734, the Vicar of Guaratinguetá built a Chapel, but the faithful increased in number and in 1834 the building of a larger church was started. On the 17th of December in 1928 the village that grew around the church became a Municipal District. In 1980, when it was still being, built the Basilica was consecrated by Pope John Paul II, and later was declared the largest sanctuary of Mary in the world. The pilgrims of Our Lady of Aparecida are like all others around the world who are devoted to Mary: devout simple people whose hands hold the beads of the rosary, candles and flowers as if they were holding their own hearts in their hands as an offering. Perhaps they already carry in their souls the deep sense of what it sacred, even without realizing it. 8
Thoughts to be considered Our Lady of Aparecida s Cathedral Luján s Cathedral A few common aspects of the two stories have come to our attention: - Why the rivers? The Virgin of Lujan and the river Lujan; the Virgin of Aparecida and the river Paraiba - Both images were taken into the homes of families who later build chapels and organized prayer groups - The occurrence of miracles - The attraction of pilgrims - The building of Sanctuaries for Mary later the need for building a larger temple to accommodate a growing number of pilgrims - The villages become towns surrounding the Virgin - Those places become Centers of Pilgrimage - Both of them become Patrons of the countries where they appeared: Argentina and Brazil - Both of them are dark skinned Virgins and publicly show special love for the slaves, the outcast, the helpless and the humble ones We have told the stories, we have acknowledged the coincidences and we entrust these keys of Mary to the wisdom of our readers hearts. The Centers for Mary are points and channels of the universal energy of the Divine Mother and Mary has asked for the presence of Her prayers at these centers. She counts on our commitment to Her cause; although being all powerful, She does not interfere in humanity s free will and awaits for us to open our hearts to Her, awaits for our trust and true surrender so that She may bestow Her Mercy on the planet, especially on the most needy. Urgency today is global, planetary, enormous, but it is not greater than the power of the Love of Mary. For this great love She still descends and appears to us today. She wishes to rescue all, She wishes to redeem every consciousness and as Mother She does not want to lose any of Her children, whatever the race, creed or situation. 9
The Scapulary of Peace In the apparitions that took place between August 2011 and March 2012, the Divine Mother indicated the use of a spaculary and instructed us in relation to this sacred object. Mary asked all those who are devoted to Her Immaculate Heart to use the Scapulary of Peace that has on one of the extremities of a brown string an Image of the Merciful Christ, and on the other extremity the Image of the Mother of the Divine Conception of the Trinity. On the back of each image there is a picture of the Cross of the New Humanity. According to the Divine Instructor, the Image of the Christ must be in front over our chest, and Her image should be behind, over our back; thus Christ shows us the way and the Divine Mother opens doors to Heaven so the souls may come in. She revealed that this scapulary will help to protect us during the coming events. She also said that when a person disincarnates this symbol will remain on each being and as a result of its use it will become shaped in energy in our bodies; once it is thus marked the soul will go to a different reality where it will be looked after. This symbol will be the sign for the Divine Mother to intervene. In order to be in contact with the essence of the Scapulary of Peace, we have transcribed below a few passages from Mary s messages: Today I bring in My hands the scapulary, a symbol of protection, a symbol for your conversion. Know dear children that each sign that I hand to you comes to help your hearts, and the heart of humankind and of the world. Each symbol that I hand you is an alliance with the Heavens and does not belong to any person. Each symbol has something to be discovered; if you take it with gratitude and love and pray with Me, you will understand. When everything seems dark and desperate in the mind, in the heart and in the spirit, you should carry this symbol of the Scapulary of Peace so you may be protected through prayer. Those who carry this scapulary will receive new codes from the Heavens, codes that come from God. 10
ANNOUNCEMENT 2 July 2012 There is a need for souls who wish to work with Mary. She always says: pray with Me. This is so we place ourselves as Her channels, so that faith and devotion may be reactivated on Earth. Requests for Prayer: - that we pray with Her, at the Centers for Mary, and that we pray for these Centers, even when we are not present there, because these are points and channels of the universal energy of the Divine Mother. The most known Centers for Mary are: Aparecida do Norte, Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorje. - Mary requested that whenever possible the prayer groups in Argentina should pray at the main Center for Mary in Argentina at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan Updates and Acknowledgments Aparecida We take the opportunity of this Announcement to acknowledge and thank the devout dedication of people and groups that went to the Sanctuary of Aparecida in the state of São Paulo. During several days the Sanctuary received people and groups that answered to Mary s request made by Vida Orante. We feel that this work should continue at the Sanctuary of Aparecida in order to build and strengthen the channel to help the redeeming task of Our Divine Mother. Countries As for the request for prayers for the countries, we would like to share with you that since this was divulged, almost every day we received e-mails of commitment from prayers that confirmed having amorously adopted countries and continents that they would shelter with their daily prayers. We are sure that our Mother received and permeated this offering with Her Light, and so we might say that almost the whole planet and its inhabitants received daily the energy of these prayers. We are thankful for the commitment and the readiness that were manifested. 11
Scapulary of Peace The scapularies were made according to the precise Instructions of Mary and will be available at the Lectures and Prayer Meetings in Figueira, as well as the orandios. If you would rather order by e-mail, please send name, address and telephone number to redeluz@fraterinternacional.org stating how many units you desire. We would like to remind you that there is a need for donations to cover expenses for manufacturing the scapularies and the orandios; we are deeply thankful for your contribution that enables the flow of these symbols of Mary. However, we emphasize to anyone who is interested in using these items of devotion to read carefully the text enclosed with each item. There the Divine Mother instructs and explains about the spiritual value and meaning of each one. Agenda Future Apparitions of Mary - July 7 Buenos Aires, Argentina (there will be an apparition in Argentina on the first Saturday of every month) - July 12 and 13 Casa Redencion Salto - Uruguay - July 25 and 26 Managua Nicaragua - August 5 Buenos Aires - Argentina - August 8, 12 and 13 Casa Redencion Salto - Uruguay - August 23 Monastery of the Divine Trinity Granja Vianna São Paulo Brazil - August 25 and 26 Comunidade Luz-Figueira Minas Gerais Brazil - August 30 Nucleo Crer-Sendo Teresópolis Rio de Janeiro Brazil - September 1 Buenos Aires - Argentina - September 12and 13 Mount Shasta California USA - September 23 - Monastery of the Divine Trinity Granja Vianna São Paulo-Brazil - September 25 and 26 Comunidade Luz-Figueira Minas Gerais - Brazil Next Prayer Meetings - July 24, 25 and 26 Managua Nicaragua - August 7 to 13 Casa Redencion Salto Uruguay - September 12 and 13 Mount Shasta California - USA (We would like to remind you that all the daily messages and further information on the Divine Mother are available at www.vidaorante.org ) In Universal Love, Fraternity Prayer Network 12
SIGNS OF PRAYER SIGNS OF PRAYER Nº 12 / 2012 In this edition: DAILY MESSAGES FROM THE GREAt CELESTIAL page 02 The Scapulary of Peace page 10 The Apparitions of Mary and Her Universal Task page 04 Announcement 2 page 11 Editorial Teachings tell us that the number 12 refers to apostolate. May this be the path of these 12 SIGNS OF PRAYER in the apostolate of Our Master and Divine Mother. With this intention and as an offering let us continue for as long as She so wishes. In this number, on THE APPARITIONS OF MARY AND HER UNIVERSAL TASK, we begin a short series of articles about some of the historic apparitions of the Divine Mother. Read also the article about the SCAPULARY OF PEACE, one more gift from our Celestial Mother. From this month on we will include our ANNOUNCEMENTS in Signs of Prayer; we suggest that you consult the latest information therein. In Universal Love, Fraternity Prayer Network