Providential Examples in History — The Second Millennium
“Jesus is the purest among the mighty, and the mightiest among the pure, who, with his pierced hand has raised empires from their foundations, turned the stream of history from its old channel, and still continues to rule and guide the ages”
— Jean Paul Friedrich Richter (1763-1825) German writer
Second Millennium - First 500 Years
Our Lady of Almudena - Madrid, Spain - 1083
Tradition tells us that when Dom Alfonso VI conquered Madrid in 1083, he immediately ordered the purification of the Church of Santa Maria, which had been profaned by the Moors.
Since the statue of Our Lady, which the Apostle St. James had placed in that building in the early days of the Chuch, had disappeared, the King, together with the religious authorities, made a procession praying to Our Lord to help them find the statue. The pious cortege processed around the walls of the city, singing and praying.
At a certain moment, part of the wall fell and they found the statue of Our Lady that had been hidden there for over 300 years. On either side of the statue were two candles – still lighted and burning. (from website Tradition in Action.
Saint Dominic - Founder of the Order of Preachers - 1214
Saint Dominic founder of the Order of Friar Preachers known as the Dominican Order was given the gift of the Rosary from the Virgin Mary in 1208, while in prayer at the Church of Prouille, France. It was given as a means of converting those of Albigensian heresy and other sinners. She said to Saint Dominic, “Therefore preach my Psalter composed of 150 Angelic Salutations and 15 Our Fathers, and you will obtain an abundant harvest.”3 “In the early part of the thirteenth century, Saint Dominic, Saint Francis of Assisi, and Saint Angelus the Carmelite accidentally met one day on a street corner in Rome. Saint Dominic then uttered a famous prophecy: ‘To my Order, the Blessed Virgin will entrust a devotion to be known as the rosary and to your [Carmelite] Order Angelus, she will entrust a devotion to be known as the scapular. One day, through the rosary and the scapular†, she will save the world.’”
Battle of Lyndanisse (Denmark) - 1219
Denmark got it’s flag during the battle of Lyndanisse when it fell from the sky.
Holy House arrived in Loreto, Italy on Dec. 10, 1294
The holy house where Our Lady lived in Nazareth was translated miraculously to the Italian city of Loreto in the province of Ancona on December 19, 1294 – more than 700 years ago.
The house did not go straight to Loreto, but in the year 1291 it was miraculously transported from Nazareth to the town of Tersatto in Dalmatia (Croatia). The local population, filled with astonishment, did not know how to explain its sudden appearance. Their Bishop, who was gravely ill, now appeared in their midst cured. He had prayed to the Virgin Mary that he might be strong enough to see the prodigy for himself, and the Mother of God appeared to him, surrounded by Angels, saying:
“My son, you have called for me, and here I am. I came to give you succor and to reveal to you the mystery [of the translation of the Holy House] you desire to know. The holy dwelling is the very house where I was born and raised. It was there that I received the good news brought by the Archangel Gabriel and I conceived the Divine Infant by the operation of the Holy Ghost. It was there that the Word was made flesh.
Battle of Jerez (southern Spain) - 1231
At the Battle of Jerezin, the Moors said “they saw angels above them in the air, and it seemed to them that these white knights, more than any others, destroyed them. “
The Marvelous Origins of the Caravaca Cross - 1231
… In the year 1231, a miracle occurred in the southeastern Spanish town of Caravaca. A missionary priest named Don Gínes Pérez Chirinos de Cuenca was captured and taken before the Muslim prince Ceyt Abuceyt. The Muslim chief asked him many questions about the Catholic Religion and, in particular, about the Sacrifice of the Mass.
The explanation of the priest interested him so much that he asked him to celebrate the Holy Mystery in his presence. The priest agreed and sent for the necessary articles to be brought from Concha, a town in the hands of the Catholics. The necessary items arrived but a crucifix was missing.
Eucharistic Miracle of Santarém, Portugal - 1247
Eucharistic Miracle of The Eucharistic miracle of Santarém, together with that of Lanciano, is considered among the most important Eucharistic miracles. Numerous studies and canonical analyses were carried out on the relics. The Host changed into bleeding Flesh and Blood flowed out of the Blessed Sacrament. Both relics are preserved to this day in the Church of St. Stephen in Santarém. (from the website the Real Presence of Christ)
Siege of Seville (southern Spain) - 1248
“Don Ferdinand was very grieved … That evening, he locked himself in the little chapel and took refuge in the Virgin that everyone in camp called by the name he himself had given her when he first saw her: “This is the Virgin of the Kings!” … The King was looking at her in ecstasy when he heard his name: “Ferdinand!” “What dost thou want of me, Lady?” Ferdinand answered without hesitation.
“You have a constant helper in my image of the Virgen de la Antigua that you love so much and which is in Seville.” … Then, the wall became transparent as if it were crystal, and Ferdinand could see the image of the glorious Queen of Heaven as she had been painted many centuries ago, covered with a veil and the Infant Son in her arms. … his guide approached him and touched his shoulder to warn him that it was time to return to camp. He obeyed docilely because he knew it was his Guardian Angel. …
As proof this was not a dream or a delirium, there he stood now in full possession of his senses far from the Christian camp and only a few feet away from the Moslem city… He felt a strong and steadfast certainty, a firm and calm peace, and he felt an immense gratitude and love toward Christ, Who had granted him such a favor, and to Holy Mary, who had interceded with her prayers.
The King did carry on with confidence the siege of Seville, and in November of 1248 the city was finally conquered.” (from Tradition on Action)
The Eucharistic Miracle of Orvieto, Italy - 1263
In 1263 a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at Bolsena while on a pilgrimage to Rome. He is described as being a pious priest, but one who found it difficult to believe that Christ was actually present in the consecrated Host. While celebrating Holy Mass above the tomb of St. Christina (located in the church named for this martyr), he had barely spoken the words of Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal.
The priest was immediately confused. At first he attempted to hide the blood, but then he interrupted the Mass and asked to be taken to the neighboring city of Orvieto, the city where Pope Ur ban IV was then residing.
The Pope listened to the priest’s account and absolved him. He then sent emissaries for an immediate investigation. When all the facts were ascertained, he ordered the Bishop of the diocese to bring to Orvieto the Host and the linen cloth bearing the stains of blood. With archbishops, cardinals and other Church dignitaries in attendance, the Pope met the procession and, amid great pomp, had the relics placed in the cathedral. The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto. (from the website the Real Presence of Christ)
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spain) - 1326 AD
The black Madonna was a statue carved by Saint Luke found by a cowherd named Gil Cordero back in 1326. Cordero was searching for a lost cow in the woods when he came upon a woman “of marvelous beauty” and illumination. The apparition of the Virgin Mary spoke to him and instructed him where to dig. There “he discovered on the bank of the Guadalupe River a statue of Madonna, which had been apparently hidden by local inhabitants from Moorish [Muslim] invaders in 714.
On the site of his discovery a chapel was built. King Alfonso XI, who visited the chapel more than once, invoked Santa Maria de Guadalupe in the Battle of Rio Salado, (October 30, 1340, in defense against the Moroccan invasion) … After gaining the victory, he ascribed it to the Madonna’s (Mary’s) intercession, declared the church at Guadalupe a royal sanctuary and undertook an extensive rebuilding program. …
Documents authorizing Columbus’s voyage were signed in front of Queen Isabel at the Franciscan Friary at Santa Maria de Guadalupe (Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe). For safety and protection on his voyage, Columbus carried with him a replica of the black Madonna.
Our Lady of Candelaria (Canary Islands) - ~1400 AD
Around 1400 a statue of the black Madonna was found by two Guanche shepherds. The statue of the Virgin Mary, bearing a naked child in one hand and a green candle in her other, was found standing on a rock on the beach near a ravine. One of the shepherds tried to throw a rock at the statue, but could not because his arm became paralyzed, and the other tried to stab it with a knife and cut himself. Later, with the King of the Guanche’s and villagers present, the two shepherds touched the statue and were both instantly healed, with a loud pop sound heard. With many other miracles connected to the statue, it was deemed to be something supernatural. It was put on an altar in a small cave. The French attempted to gain control the islands, and later the Castilian Crown.
By 1495 the island was under Spanish rule. At this time the statue was known as Our Lady of Candelaria (Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria), which means Virgin of Candelaria. The Spanish rulers stole the statue, but after a plague struck which they attributed to the sacrilegious theft it was quickly returned.
Saint Vincent Ferrer – The Angel of Judgement - ~1390 AD - 1419 AD
Vincent was born in 1350 in Valencia, Spain. At the age of 18 joined the Dominican Order. At the age of forty, he became ill and lingered near death for twelve days. While praying to God for health, Saint Dominic and Francis appeared in his dream at the feet of Christ petitioning for his recovery. Ferrer wrote that Jesus touched him with His holy finger and was entirely cured of his sickness.
Jesus said to Ferrer: “He must go through the world preaching as the Apostles had done, and that He, Jesus, would mercifully await this preaching for the conversion and correction of mankind, before the coming of Antichrist.” From ~1390-1419 Ferrer traveled throughout Europe from Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, and Ireland. At times with up to 10,000 followers & religious. At times would preach to audiences as large as 80,000.
He preached in Castilian [Cas·til·ian] sometimes Latin, but was understood by men and women in their native language. He read souls like an open book; he performed many miracles, expelled demons, multiplied food, raised the dead, prophesied, corrected heresy, and set straight corrupted morals. Read souls or sins against God like an open book. In some regions the Holy Spirt would not allow him to preach. “Wherever he preached, the Protestant Reformation did not take root.” The later Catholic-Protestant divide in Europe would later be reflected in areas settled in the Americas.
In the kingdom of Grenada, Spain he converted Jews and the Moslems by the tens of thousands to Catholicism. Until a Moslem leaders forbid his sermons. Ferrer said it is “one of the wicked artifices of this Antichrist, by which he directly closes the door of salvation preventing people from hearing the (Gospel). He left in disgust “beseeching God to destroy the reign of the Moslem crescent moon and to establish … the glorious Cross. A century later and the desires of the Saint were accomplished.
Joan of Arc Saved France 1412-1431 AD
Joan of Arc is a well documented story of a young girl raised up by God, who saved France during the Hundred Years War with England. The Country had lost its pride, and her people, the will to fight. As a young girl, Joan, a devout Catholic, had visions of Saint Catherine, Margaret, and St. Michael the Archangel. They would talk to her, and give her instruction, and direction. As a teenager she could not read, or write, but was able to lead the French army to victory against the English invaders. In the course of 14 months, she was able restore much of her country back to French control. While the story of Joan of Arc from the 1400’s may not seem relevant to the American Revolution, which took place in the late 1700’s, there are many noteworthy connections, and parallels, especially to George Washington. Had God not raised up, and protected Joan of Arc, France would have likely ceased to exist as a country. If God had not reestablished France as a strong country, there would have been no French Indian war in America. If the war had never occurred, Washington would have never gotten his military training, and Britain would have not had to tax the colonies. Had Joan of Arc, through God’s assistance, not thrown off the yoke of British oppression, United States of America may have never existed as a country.
“You Englishmen, who have no right in this kingdom of France, the King of Heaven sends you word and warning, by me Jehanne the Maid, to abandon your forts and depart into your own country, or I will raise such a war-
Excerpt: Heresy trials –
Eucharistic Miracle of Turin, Italy - 1453
The miracle occurred when two soldiers stole a monstrance containing a large consecrated host and other church items from the church. When they entered the city of Turn, the items they stole fell into the ground including the monstrance but the host did not fall instead it rose to the air where it remained suspended.
Columbus - The Christ bearer comes to the Americas - 1492 The Bible comes to the Americas
Excerpt: Columbus –
Excerpt: Late Christmas Eve into early Christmas day, in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Santa Maria (Holy Mary) drifted on to a sandbar and coral reef and sank off the Santa Domingo (Holy Lord). The first settlement in the new world would be called La Navidad, or Christmas, in Spanish, built from timbers of the Santa Maria. ….
Excerpts: While many missionaries such as the Franciscans, Carmelites, Jesuits and Dominicans and explorers from Spain and Portugal had good intentions of spreading the word of the Gospel, some driven by greed and power clearly did not follow their Christian teachings. Against strict orders from Queen Isabel, many natives were enslaved for mining gold and silver. One mountain in the central Andes, “Carro Rico, which means “Rich Hill”, was a mountain of silver over two thousand feet high. It was the first real city of the New World, reaching 120,000 inhabitants by 1573. While the sliver deposit was known to the Inca, it was not touched. From the book Indian Givers, “The Inca emperor Huayna Capac first mined Carro Rico a generation before the Spanish arrived. ..The emperor stopped the operation, however, when a voice thundered out of the mountain saying: ‘Take no silver from this hill. It is destined for other owners.’”
A continual wave of gold and silver from South America soon hit the European shores. By way of Spain, it soon found its way throughout Europe. Europe had been cut off of gold and sliver by the “Moslem merchants who monopolized the trade” from Africa’s “Gold Coast.” “Even though the silver and gold went into Spain, it did not stay there. From Spain the money spread throughout Europe…. Three-
“The silver from America made possible a world economy for the first time, as much of it was traded not only to the Ottomans but to the Chinese and East Indians. … Europe’s prosperity boomed …The Ottoman silver akce coin suddenly fell to half its former value before the end of 1584 in a bout of uncontrolled inflation. The coin lost it’s important place in the world trade and never regained it. Centuries of struggle between the Moslems and the Christian, American silver probably did more to undermine Islamic power for the next half a millennium than did any other single factor. … To replace the Mediterranean trade of cloth, beads, leather, and metals upon which the Africans had become dependent , the Africans now had only one commodity that the Europeans wanted —slaves. For centures the African merchants had sold a small but steadly number of slaves to the Middle East, but with the decline of their traditional European trade and with the opening of America, the slave trade became a boom.
Second Millennium - Second 500 Years
“Soldiers of Spain, we are standing on the verge of the greatest adventure ever undertaken by so small a band of men. We now leave the known world behind us: from this time forth we plunge into a region never before trodden by men of our race or religion. The hazards of this adventure I shall not dwell upon; they are well estimated by the bravest among you … The shores we shall storm are lined with teeming millions of savages, unfriendly if not openly hostile.
We have only our swords and our good right arms to protect us against their overwhelming numbers. Therefore let not childish strife or inner dissension weaken the front we must present to the enemy. If we go as united as we go courageously, we have nothing to fear, nothing to lose … We are marching as Christians into a land of infidels. We seek not only to subdue boundless territory in the name of our Emperor Don Carlos, but to win millions of unsalvaged souls to the True Faith.
Let us therefore enter upon our labors, so auspiciously begun, and in the name of our God and emperor carry them joyously, confidently, to a triumphantly conclusion.”
..
Mexico in December of 1531 ~13 years after Cortez defeat the Aztec Empire Juan Diego an Aztec Indian was on his way home from Mass Saturday morning when Mary the mother of Jesus appeared requesting that him inform the local Bishop that she wanted a church to be built on the site.
The Bishop requested proof, a sign that this apparition was of divine origin. Mary told Juan Diego she would provide proof the following day. Mary instructed Juan Diego to go to the top of the hill (should have been barren) and pick some flowers which she arranged in his tilma made out of cactus fiber). When Juan Diego opened his tilma the Bishop immediately fell to his knees. Imprinted on Diego’s tilma was and image of the Virgin Mary. The roses were native to Spain from an area where Saint Dominic, who was given the gift of the rosaries. It was enough of a sign to convince the Bishop to build the church.
In six years nine million Aztecs were converted to the Catholic faith. It also helped heal any racial divide between the Indians and Spanish.
Juan Diego’s tilma survives to the present day and attracts some 20 million visitors a year.
It defies modern science to explain.
There are no bush strokes.
How the brilliant colors were derived and remain?
Why the pigment cannot be identified and 3D nature of the image?
Why the cactus fibers over 500 years show no sign of decay?
Why stars imprinted on the cloak is as the stars in the sky viewed from space at the time of the apparition?
1970’s a NASA consultant did a high resolution infrared imaging of the tilma. On the rose robe, blue mantle, hands and face there is no way to explain the color luminosity and brightness of pigments. … it is inexplicable. The colors appear to be 1/100th of an inch above over the surface of the tilma. Tilma maintains a constant temperature of 98.6 Fahrenheit – body temperature.
Two hundred Spanish soldiers led by Pedro de Valdivia were completely surrounded by 60,000 Mapuche Indians. Just as the attack was about to begin, an apparition and brilliant light appeared in the sky followed by a loud noise. Some said it was Saint James (Santiago)† riding upon a white horse, others said it was the Virgin Mary (La Virgen Maria) robed in gold and silver.
The supernatural disturbance caused the Indians to take flight, which saved the Spanish forces. … Pedro de Valdivia had the nose and one hand of each of the prisoners cut off and sent them back with a message that the Mapuche should now submit to Spanish rule.
Richard Hakluyt’s divinely drive vision for English colonization of North America. “Later the younger Hakluyt would write of his learned cousin:
[He] began to instruct my ignorance and pointed with his wand to all the known seas, gulfs, bays, straits, capes, rivers, empires, kingdoms, dukedoms, and territories.
From the map, he brought me to the Bible and turning to the 107th Psalm, directed me to the 23rd and 24th verses, where I read, that ‘they which go down to the sea in ships, and occupy [their business in] great waters, these see the works for the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.’
The words of the prophet, together with my cousin’s discourse … took in me so deep an impression, that I constantly resolved, if ever I were preferred to the university … I would by God’s assistance prosecute that knowledge and kind of literature, the doors whereof … were so happily opened before me.”
“Richard Hakluyt sensed that the time was right to once again make his case before the royal court. He gathered a group of like-minded merchants and explorers to form the Virginia Company. The group received an audience with King James I, a serious and scholarly monarch, committed to the Christian faith and the future of the newly united kingdom.”
Richard Hakluyt wote “… All the commodities of all our old decayed and dangerous trades in all Europe, Africa, and Asia…may in short space [count] for little or nothing [compared with]…that part of America which lieth between 30 and 60 degrees of northerly latitude, if by our slackness we suffer not the French or others to prevent us…Truth it is that through our long peace and seldom sickness (two singular blessings of Almighty God) we are grown more populous than ever heretofore; so that now there are …”
The Miracle at the Battle of Lepanto - October 7, 1571
One of the largest battles in the Mediterranean occurred on October 7, 1571, off the coast of Greece. Around 275 Turkish ships squared off against 212 ships from the Holy League. The Holy League was a number of Catholic maritime countries brought together in self defense by Pope Pirus. Islamic forces had gained control of Mediterranean Sea and were burning and plundering cities and towns as far as Spain and France, killing and enslaving Christians. They now threatened Venice and Rome. As the battle for the survival of Europe hung in the balance, Don John of Austria led the Christian forces as citizens fasted and prayed the Rosary. During the battle, a sudden change in the direction of the wind favored the Christian fleet. Many miles away, before the battle had concluded, Pope Pirus in tears turned and said “The Christian fleet is victorious!” “It is not now a time to talk any more upon business; but to give thanks to God for the victory he has granted to the arms of the Christians.”
The battle dealt a deceive blow to Turkish navel power. They lost some 210 ships (130 captured, 80 sank) and 30,000 men (15,000 Christian slave rowers chained about their galleys were freed). The Holy League lost about 50 ships and around 4500 men. The Leagues miraculous victory was credited to the Virgin Mary and intercession by God on their behalf, know as the “miracle of the rosaries.” While there would be other battles to fight, Lepanto was a pivotal battle that turned the course of history and saved Christianity in Europe. For it would have been nearly impossible for countries in Europe to spread Gospel to the Americas if they had deal with the continued threat of annihilation from Moslem invaders.
Excerpt: Lepanto –
The Sinking of the Spanish Armada - 1588
The Spanish Armada of 130 warships and 30,000 men, intending to invade England arrived at the English Channel. Against such an invincible fleet, “God blew and they were scattered,” thrown upon the rocks. The sinking of much the Spanish Armada on August 8, 1588, would change the power structure in Europe and would change the religious boundaries for Protestants and Catholics in North and South America. The Netherlands would finally gain their independence from Spain in 1648 with Treaty of Westphalia. It would be the Netherlands, years later at the end of the Revolutionary War, who would lend the United States funds to establish the Bank of North America. How fortuitous it was for the United States, that Britain had recently declared war on the Netherlands over an issue with shipping, and both countries now shared a common enemy, thus expediting the much need loan.
Virgin Mary Apparitions & Miracles in South America - Early Post Columbus ~1600-1700 AD
To follow Columbus’ voyage to the Americas, there were apparitions of the Virgin Mary and associated miracles that spread across virtually the entire American hemisphere. They started in the southern hemisphere north into Mexico, then spread into the United States and Canada. They occurred from the early 1500s through the 1600s and 1700s, and continue today. Early reports were at times brought to the attention of the often unbelieving Spanish priests and ruling officials. Mary appeared mainly to the indigenous people, and spoke to them in their native language.
María de Ágreda - The Lady in Blue ~1620-1623
One day in prayer God took her around the world and showed her who did not profess the faith — the heathen, idolaters, Indians, Mohammedans, and heretics. God said the ones with the best disposition to be converted, and to whom His mercy was most inclined were the heathen of New Mexico and of the region we know as the southwest part of the United States. She was praying for the welfare of these souls when God unexpectedly transported (bilocation) to the region.
She preached the Catholic faith, distributed rosaries and urged them to be baptized. They understood in their own language. Around 1620-1623 she appeared to tribes New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Spanish missionaries in Corpus Christi Texas were bewildered when “Fifty members of the Jumano – [Ju·ma·no] Indian tribe arrived at the Mission carrying a large cross asking to be baptized. In New Mexico the Franciscans baptized more than 50,000 Indians in record time. She is known in the history of the southwest as “The Lady in Blue” from the color of her religious order.
She never left the Immaculate Conception Convent in Spain. Her Confessor later shared, “The Lord, whose wisdom is incomprehensible, performed in her and through her one of the miracles at which the centuries have marveled.”
Our Lady of Good Success - Quito, Ecuador - 1634
“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing….
“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations.”
“At the end of the nineteenth century and throughout a great part of the twentieth, many heresies will be propagated in these lands.…
“The small number of souls who will secretly safeguard the treasure of Faith and virtues will suffer a cruel, unspeakable, and long martyrdom. Many will descend to their graves through the violence of suffering and will be counted among the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Church.
Devotion to the Heart of Mary Will Save the World
“To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration….
King Louis XIV (the Sun King) - June 17, 1689
Jesus appeared to a French Roman Catholic nun and mystic Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque [later body was incorrupt] on June 17, 1689. He instructed her to deliver a message to King Louis to consecrate France to Jesus’ Sacred Heart.
“Make it known to the eldest son (King Louis XIV) of My Sacred Heart that, as his temporal birth was obtained by devotion to my Holy Infancy, so will he obtain his birth into grace and eternal glory by consecrating himself to My adorable Heart. It wants to triumph over his and, through him, over the hearts of the great ones of the earth. It wants to reign in his place, be painted on his standards, and engraved on his arms [weapons], so that they may be victorious over all his enemies. It want to bring low these proud and stubborn heads and make him triumphant over all the enemies of holy Church.”
For what ever King Louis reasons for ignoring Jesus’ request, he did not to consecrate France. Nor did his son. Finally, it was done by his grandson Louis XVI who ruled as monarch from 1774–1789.
Exactly one hundred years to the day that Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque had delivered the message to Louis grandfather, the King lost his power. On June 17, 1789, the Third Estate which rose to power and proclaimed themselves the National Assembly and stripping the King of his legislative authority. Louis XVI was held a virtual prisoner at the Tuileries Palace. In a private ceremony in the spring of 1791, he consecrated France to Jesus’ Sacred Heart. His vows were hidden in the walls of the Tuileries Palace. By coincidence or accident, they were found after a fire in 1870.
France was finally conscrated to Jesus’ Sacred Heart, but it was too late. Two years later in 1793 King Louis XVI was taken to the guillotine. With the loud thump of a falling knife blade ended the life of King Louis and French monarchy.
The Hosts of Siena, Italy - 1730
The commission agreed that unleavened bread, if prepared under sterile conditions and kept in an airtight, antiseptically cleaned container, could be kept for an extremely long time. Unleavened bread prepared in a normal fashion and exposed to air and the activity of micro-organisms would remain intact for no more than a few years. It was concluded that the stolen Hosts had been both prepared without scientific precautions and kept under ordinary conditions which should have caused their decay more than a century before. The commission concluded that the preservation was extraordinary, “…e la scienza stessa che proclama qui lo straordinario.”
Professor Siro Grimaldi, professor of chemistry at the University of Siena and director of the Municipal Chemical Laboratory, as well as the holder of several other distinguished positions in the field of chemistry, was the chief chemical examiner of the holy particles in 1914. Afterward, he gave elaborate statements concerning the miraculous nature of the Hosts, and wrote a book about the miracle entitled Uno Scienziato Adora (A Scientific Adorer). In 1914 he declared:
The holy Particles of unleavened bread represent an example of perfect preservation … a singular phenomenon that inverts the natural law of the conservation of organic material. It is a fact unique in the annals of science.
In 1922 another investigation was conducted — this one in the presence of Cardinal Giovanni Tacci, who was accompanied by the Archbishop of Siena and the Bishops of Montepulciano, Foligno and Grosseto. Again the results were the same: the Hosts tasted like unleavened bread, were starchy in composition and were completely preserved. (from the website the Real Presence of Christ)
First Great (Spiritual) Awakening ~1730-1770
The First Great Awakening (1730-1770) started around 1730, with the fire-and-brimstone sermons of Jonathan Edwards in North Hampton, Massachusetts. From there it would spread throughout the colonies. Coincidently, the Awakening happened around fifty years before the Revolutionary War. It was also around that time Washington and other founding fathers, patriots, and citizens were born, many whom would later be involved in the Revolutionary War and war effort.
Minister Jonathan Edwards recorded his observations in his congregation during this time in a treatise, Revival of Religion in New England around 1740. …
“There is a strange alteration almost all over New England amongst young people: by a powerful invisible influence on their minds, they have been brought to forsake, in a general way, as it were at once, those things of which they were extremely fond, and in which they seemed to place the happiness of their lives, and which nothing before could induce them to forsake; as their frolicking, vain company-keeping, night-walking, their mirth and jollity, their impure language, and lewd songs. …
Now, through the greatest part of New England, the holy Bible is in much greater esteem and use than before. … The Lord’s day is more religiously and strictly observed. … Great numbers under this influence have been brought to a deep sense of their own sinfulness and vileness; the sinfulness of their lives …”
Did God stop the French Invasion of America in 1746?
In the same year the young George Washington attempted to join the British Navy in 1746, Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts was in urgent communications with New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and cities and towns throughout Massachusetts. The New England colonies were in preparation, bracing themselves to defend against a threatened French invasion.
King Louis XV of France sent an armada of 70 ships, which carried over 10,000 troops under the command of Admiral D’Anville to avenge the loss of the Fort Louisburg on the island of Cape Breton [Nova Scotia] the previous year. His orders were to burn Boston to the ground and ravage the New England coast down to New York. …
Governor Shirley proclaimed a solemn day of fasting and prayer for all citizens to petition God for protection. Of the event that followed, Catherine Drinker Bowen in her book, John Adams and the American Revolution, wrote:
In Boston the Reverend Thomas Prince, from the high pulpit of the Old South Meeting-
He had scarcely pronounced the words when the sun was gone and the morning darkened. All the church was in shadow. A wind shrieked around the walls, sudden, violent, hammering at the windows with a giant hand. No man was in the steeple—afterward the sexton swore it—yet the great bell struck twice, a wild uneven sound. Thomas Prince paused in his prayer, both arms raised. “We hear Thy voice, O Lord!” he thundered triumphantly. “We hear it! Thy breach is upon the waters to the eastward, even upon the deep. Thy bell tolls for the death of our enemies!”
Excerpt: A Ballad of the French Fleet –
Thomas Paine and his Prophetic Dream - 1775
Thomas Paine was a man of words, whose writings sparked passions for freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. He had recently emigrated to America, under encouragement from Benjamin Franklin, when he had a dream of the forth coming Revolutionary War. His vivid dream of war made a very strong impression on him. It was published in the Pennsylvania Magazine in June of 1775, under the title “The Dream Interpreted.” Thomas Paine’s dream would have a tremendous influence on his writings and the destiny of a nation. Through his dream, he saw the struggle with England and America’s greatness after the war, which he so eloquently put into words. How coincidental for Thomas Paine to run into a stranger on an infrequently traveled trail in the woods, who could so profoundly interpret his prophetic dream which would become his fate and life’s work ….
Perhaps it is because he was born in England, not America, or his later criticism of George Washington. Whatever the reason, the United States was blessed to have Thomas Paine and his writings at such a critical time in American history. It is not a stretch to say, that if there were no Thomas Paine, there may not have been a United States of America.
George Washington - "Son of the Republic, look and learn."
Excerpt: The Indian Prophecy –
Excerpt: Son of the Republic –
Excerpt: Washington’s dream forewarned him of his impending death –
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Second Great (Spiritual) Awakening ~1800-1850
B The Second Great Awakening (1800-1850) started from camp meetings in the Appalachian region in Kentucky and Tennessee with the Methodists and Baptists. It soon spread into the south, the north in upstate New York, and to the northeast. Local Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodists circuit riders spread the Gospel through west to southern Ohio, and eventually extended all the way to the west coast. The effect of the Holy Spirit working through the words spoken by the ministers of the Second Great Awakening shook many who heard their sermons to the very core of their being. …
James B. Finley wrote “Some thought that the world was coming to an end; others that some dreadful calamity was coming upon the country as judgement of God on the nation. … In the month of August, 1801, I learned there was to be a great meeting at Cane Ridge [Kentucky]. A vast crowd, supposed by some to have amounted to twenty-five thousand, was collected together. The noise was like the roar of Niagara. The vast sea of human beings seemed to be agitated as if by a storm. I counted seven ministers, all preaching at one time, some on stumps, others on wagons …
Some of the people were singing, others praying, some crying for mercy in the most piteous accents …”
Dr. Benjamin Rush's Dream of God's Hand in Reconciling John Adams and Thomas Jefferson - 1809
The following is a letter by Benjamin Rush to his good friend John Adams about his dream. In that dream, his son gave him a book on the history of the United States. Written in the pages of our country’s history was a discussion on their friendship, rivalry, reunited, and synchronistic death, of John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, which Benjamin felt compelled to share. Benjamin Rush’s dream would turn out to be prophetic as these great men did once again become friends, and would pass into the grave within hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“’What book is that in your hands?’ said I to my son Richard a few nights ago in a dream. “It is the history of the United States,” said he. “Shall I read a page of it to you?” “No, no,” said I. “I believe in the truth of no history but in that which is contained in the Old and New Testaments.” “But, sir,” said my son, “this page relates to your friend Mr. Adams.” “Let me see it then,” said I. I read it with great pleasure and herewith send you a copy of it.
1809. Among the most extraordinary events of this year was the renewal of the friendship and intercourse between Mr. John Adams and Mr. Jefferson, the two ex-
The Crack in the Liberty Bell a prophetic marker in time!
Excerpt from book In GOD We Trust: George Washington and the Spiritual Destiny of the United States of America –
“On July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Adams and Jefferson, the two men most responsible for the document, died a few hours apart. The date bore was a visible mark of God for a reason, Biblically it was the Jubilee year of the country’s independence from their bondage with England. Due to the speed at which news traveled, the State House bell rang the following day, on July 5th of 1826, to announce the news. It was in tolling the deaths of Adams and Jefferson the bell is believed to have first cracked. The hairline crack was estimated to be an in inch or two in length in from the lip of the bell.
The inscription on the side of Independence Hall Bell was from Leviticus* 25:10, which reads, “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” was missing the remaining part of the verse relating to slavery, the country’s obligations to God, and the number fifty. The full Bible verse from Leviticus reads:
And you shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall be to you forty-
— Leviticus 25:8-
The Normandy Liberty Bell - Replica of the Liberty Bell
The Normandy Liberty Bell is an exact laser scanned replica of the Liberty Bell. It was was first rung on June 6, 2004 on the shores of Normandy to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. It was first rung in the United States on July 4, 2005 outside of the Liberty Bell Center on Independence Mall as part of the “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony.
If you ever wondered what the Liberty Bell ringing would may have sounded like play the audio.
The Tornado and the Burning of Washington, August 25, 1814
Excerpt from the book Washington Weather –
On the morning of August 25, Washington was still burning. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the British soldiers continued to set fires and destroy ammunition supplies and defenses around the city. As the soldiers spread fire and destruction throughout the city, the early afternoon sky began to darken and lightning and thunder signaled the approach of a thunderstorm. As the storm neared the city, the winds began to increase dramatically and then built into a “frightening roar.” A severe thunderstorm was bearing down on Washington, and with it was a tornado.
The tornado tore through the center of Washington and directly into the British occupation. Buildings were lifted off of their foundations and dashed to bits. … A few British cannons were picked up by the winds and thrown through the air. The collapsing buildings and flying debris killed several British soldiers.
The Battle of New Orleans - 1815
Regarding the War or 1812 and the victorious battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson wrote to Secretary of War James Monroe:
“Heaven, to be sure, has interposed most wonderfully in our behalf, and I am filled with gratitude, when I look back to what we have escaped.”
To be added …
In the United States, we have fewer such marvels, and unfortunately the small number of miraculous statues that exist is not widely known, even among Catholics. A unique title and devotion that Our Lady chose for our country – certainly deserving of more recognition – is that of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, patroness of the city of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. A Mass in her honor is said every January 8 to commemorate a great miracle she worked on behalf of the city in the Battle of New Orleans of 1815. …
In Early January, 1815, a British army numbering 15,000 men attacked the city of New Orleans in a conflict that marked the end of the War of 1812. The American forces, numbering only 6,000, were expected to crumble easily to the invading British. Fearing the might of the British army, the Catholics of New Orleans gathered at the Chapel with the Ursuline Nuns the night before the battle to pray to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
On January 8th the British forces advanced against the outnumbered Americans. Against all odds the British attack failed, and within 25 minutes the British suffered 2,500 casualties. The Americans suffered only 7 dead and 6 wounded. The battle could not have been more decisive. (From Tradition on Action website)
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both die on July 4, 1826 the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
“On July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Adams and Jefferson, the two men most responsible for the document, died a few hours apart. The date bore was a visible mark of God for a reason, Biblically it was the Jubilee year of the country’s independence from their bondage with England. … Jubilee year for the country was 1826 or on fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.” …
“John Quincy Adams upon learning about of this father’s death and Thomas Jefferson on the 4th of July, recorded in his diary … The time, the manner, the coincidence with the decease of Jefferson, are visible and palpable marks of Divine favor, for which I would humble myself in grateful and silent adoration before the Ruler of the Universe. …” (Book In GOD We Trust: George Washington and the Spiritual Destiny of the United States of America)
Why did God Protect Andrew Jackson? - 1835
Andrew Jackson’s life symbolizes the rugged individualism (and at times reckless behavior) that God produced in many men of the post Revolutionary War era. He was one of the most unruly, ornery, quarrelsome, and stubborn, least educated men ever to serve as President of the United States. Yet in contrast, he was also a deeply religious man of faith, biblical faith instilled in him by his mother from an early age. Credited with starting the Democratic Party [Jackson Democrats], he was a legend in his own time, appropriately nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his toughness. With all his good traits, and bad [hot-
By divine intercession, Jackson’s life was spared on January 30, 1835. He was attending a funeral with his cabinet members in the capital building, when an assassin by the name of Richard Lawrence pulled a gun, and at point blank range, fired at Jackson. After the pistol failed to fire, he pulled a second pistol, and that pistol too, failed to fire. Lawrence was soon subdued, after being beat over the head, and shoulders, by Andrew Jackson’s cane. After the incident, police tested both of Richard Lawrence’s pistols, and they worked fine.
Besides the attempted Presidential assassination, Andrew Jackson escaped death on numerous occasions. Captured as a courier during the Revolutionary War, at the age of thirteen, Jackson survived a sword wound from a British officer for refusing to clean his boots. He survived only to nearly starved to death as a prisoner of war. He survived a duel with Colonel Waitstill Avery in 1795. He won a duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806, fought over slanderous remarks about his wife. In the war of 1812, he survived the Battle of Talladega in 1813. He took a bullet to the chest in a gun fight in the fall 1813 with the Benton brothers in Nashville Tennessee. He nearly bled to death after the bullet shattered two ribs, and missed his heart, by inches. In 1814, he survived the Battle of Emuckfau, Enotocopco, and Battle of the Horseshoe. After being appointed as Major General of United States, he was assigned to defend, and won, the famous battle of New Orleans in 1815, against British forces. He survived battles in the First & Second Seminole War 1817-
Miracle of Ocotlán - 1847
On Sunday, Oct. 3, 1847, more than 2,000 people in Ocotlán, Mexico saw a perfect image of Jesus Christ crucified that appeared in the sky for more than 30 minutes.
Approved by the Archdiocese of Guadalajara in 1911, the phenomenon is known as the “Miracle of Ocotlán” and took place one day before an earthquake that killed 40 and left the town in Jalisco State in ruins.
Manifest Destiny - From Sea to Shinning Sea
Excerpt: William Gilpin, Governor of Colorado Territory, 1846 –
John C. Calhoun's Dream of George Washington - Overnight changed his heart to Pro-Union and delayed secession?
John C. Calhoun was one of the south’s most articulate, and outspoken proponents of slavery, states rights, and nullification of federal law. He opposed the Tariff Act of 1828, and openly advocated that southern states could nullify federal law. This earned him the nickname, “Arch Nullifier.” Over his outspoken position on nullification and secession, President Andrew Jackson threatened to have him hung for treason. Later in his career, almost over night, he changed his political position from pro-
Excerpt: The Spotted Hand, An Anecdote of John C. Calhoun –
Lewis and Cark’s expedition -1803-1805
To be added
The Battle Hymn of the Republic - The Song that saved the Union - 1861
When Julia Ward Howe first awoke, early morning of November 21, 1861, the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic arranged themselves in her mind. In a darkened room, trying not to wake her children, she scratched down the verses to the poem, knowing something of importance had just happened. The words she scrawled on an old sheet of paper, Lincoln would later say was “the song that saved the Union.” The Battle Hymn of the Republic was a divinely inspired masterpiece of poetry on God and country, which could not have come at better a time for the Union. The Civil War was not going well for the North, many battles had been lost, morale had slumped and recruitment numbers were running low. The poem soon became a motivating song sung by the Union troops in glory to God. One other song sung by the North, and less controversial to the South was The Battle Cry of Freedom. Those on the Confederate side sang, God Save the South and The Bonnie Blue Flag song. The South hated the Union’s battle hymn song, because it inferred that God was on the side of the North.. …
Through out the years, there has been much heated debate over words in The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The words in the song have elicited strong feelings in many camps. The song is considered offensive to many Southerners, it is offensive to some Christians, but it is especially offensive to many secular non-
General McClellan Vision? - McClellan’s Potomac Panic - 1862
“She is called on to accomplish that vast result, self-
“But her mission will not then be finished; for ere another century shall have gone by, the oppressors of the whole earth, hating and envying her exaltation, shall join themselves together and raise up their hands against her. But if she still be found worthy of her high calling they shall surely be discomfited, and then will be ended her third and last great struggle for existence. Thenceforth shall the Republic go on, increasing in power and goodness, until her borders shall end only in the remotest corners of the earth, and the whole earth shall beneath her shadowing wing become a Universal Republic. Let her in her prosperity, however, remember the Lord her God, let her trust be always in Him, and she shall never be confounded.”
To be added
Excerpt: Letter to his wife Mary Ellen, June 10th of 1862 –
Special Orders 191 - 1862
Excerpt: Special Orders 191 –
General Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine at Gettysburg - 1863
Joshua L. Chamberlain’s life was of the substance from which legends are made; a number of books and movies are a credit to his achievements. His life’s story was that of a man with immense optimism and determination, surrendering to what he felt was a divine calling to join the Civil War. He answered Lincoln’s call for troops and left his wife, children and teaching position at Bowdoin College to join the war effort. He is best known for the Civil War battle of Little Round Top. The Maine 20th was led to the battle by the Ghost of George Washington on horseback. Through an odd set of coincidences, the Maine 20th rushed in to secure Little Round Top, a strategic point left unattended by the Union Forces. As the battle of Gettysburg raged and as the Civil War’s outcome hung in the balance, the Maine 20th held their position. Outnumbered, with many dead and out of ammunition, Chamberlain ordered a last ditch bayonet charge against the Confederate troops, securing a win for the Union Forces. Close to death on a number of occasions, he regained his health, only to rejoin the military action for many more important battles during the Civil War.
Why did God protect Andrew Jackson? - 1835
Andrew Jackson’s life symbolizes rugged individualism (and at times reckless behavior) that God produced in many men of the post-Revolutionary War era. He was one of the most unruly, ornery, quarrelsome, and stubborn, least educated men ever to serve as President of the United States. Yet in contrast, he was also a deeply religious man of faith, biblical faith instilled in him by his mother from an early age. Credited with starting the Democratic Party [Jackson Democrats], he was a legend in his own time, appropriately nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his toughness. He also had many bad traits, such as being hot-tempered, using foul language, prone duels, fights, and battles. Perhaps the worst was the forced relocation and march of Indian tribes from Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Florida to Oklahoma “The Trail of Tears” which led to the deaths of many thousands.
Yet appears he had a divine hand of protection on his shoulder throughout his life, especially during his job as President. By divine intercession Jackson’s life was spared on January 30, 1835. He was attending a funeral with his cabinet members in the capital building, when an assassin by the name of Richard Lawrence pulled a gun and at point blank range fired at Jackson. After the pistol failed to fire, he pulled out a second pistol and that pistol too failed to fire. Lawrence was soon subdued after being beat over the head and shoulders by Andrew Jackson’s and his cane. After the incident police tested both of Richard Lawrence’s pistols and they worked fine.
Besides the attempted Presidential assassination, Andrew Jackson escaped death on numerous occasions. Captured as a courier during the Revolutionary War, at the age of thirteen, Jackson survived a sword wound from a British officer for refusing to clean his boots. He survived only to nearly starved to death as a prisoner of war. He survived a duel with Colonel Waitstill Avery in 1795. He won a duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806, fought over slanderous remarks about his wife. In the war of 1812, he survived the Battle of Talladega in 1813. He took a bullet to the chest in a gun fight in the fall 1813 with the Benton brothers in Nashville Tennessee. He nearly bled to death after the bullet shattered two ribs, and missed his heart, by inches. In 1814, he survived the Battle of Emuckfau, Enotocopco, and Battle of the Horseshoe. After being appointed as Major General of United States, he was assigned to defend, and won, the famous battle of New Orleans in 1815, against British forces. He survived battles in the First & Second Seminole War 1817-
Father Nicolas Point, would write that this Montana Indian boy called Little Paul - 1841
What happened next was detailed by Father De Smet. In one place he recorded what Little Paul told him. He wrote:
Upon entering Jean’s hut, whither I had gone to learn my prayers, which I did not know, I saw someone who was very beautiful — her feet did not touch the earth, her garments were as white as snow; she had a star over her head, and a serpent under her feet; and near the serpent was a fruit which I did not recognize. I could see her heart, from which rays of light burst forth and shone upon me. When I first beheld all this I was frightened, but afterwards my fear left me; my heart was warmed, my mind clear, and I do not know how it happened, but all at once I knew my prayers. …
“‘Mother,’ answered the boy. ‘the Great Spirit will take pity on me — I tried to learn my prayers, and I have been unable to do it. However, I will go again and try.’ He then directed his steps towards lodge of one of the catechists. On opening the door, he saw a person standing about two feet from the ground, in the midst of bright rays of light, dressed all white: under the person’s feet was a sphere, a half moon, and a serpent, with a strange fruit in its mouth. Above the person’s head was a bright star — the heart was visible, and rays of light proceeded from it. At first he was afraid. and was upon the point of running away. But on taking a second glance at the person, he perceived a smile on (the) countenance, which filled him with confidence. He kneeled and begged of the person to teach him his prayers. Suddenly he felt his mind clear and his heart warm — such are the child’s own expressions — and he recited the whole of the prayers without difficulty.”
“He returned immediately, and told his mother he knew his prayers. She would not believe it. He recited them in her presence and knew them so accurately that he corrected his sister, who mistook two or three words. He then related the story.”
Manifest Destiny - From Sea to Shinning Sea - 1846
To be added
Excerpt: William Gilpin, Governor of Colorado Territory, 1846 –
La Salette - 1846
The Apparition happened on the 19th of September of 1846, the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Two children, Maximin Giraud and Melanie Calvat, saw in a brilliant light a most beautiful crying lady sitting on the stones at the border of a withered fountain. The lady then rose and in a gentle voice bade the children not be afraid, but to come forward, for that she had great news to tell them: “Come, my children, fear not, I am here to proclaim great news to you”.
Our Lady said how it is hard to her to implore God, to intercede for the people, who continue to sin, how difficult it is to keep God’s right hand from His just punishment. She asked to pray, to convert to God, to make peace with Him, to understand that all the hardships that fall on the people are caused only by human sin. She invited people to respect the repose of the seventh day, and the name of God.
She shared the things people were doing that upset her Son. (People were not submitting themselves to her son. How she had suffered for everyone. People were not keeping the Sabbath day, nor honoring Lent. Cart drivers were using Jesus’ name in vein. Few go to Mass, in the winter some go only to mock religion)
Then she gave both children a secrete … “I made you see this last year with the potatoes” (spoiled harvest). (“They found bad potatoes; they swore included the name of my Son.” – (The Great Famine started in Ireland in September 1845 – 1852 — Potatoes dug out of the ground at first looked fine, but turned black and rotted within days. One million were lost to starvation and disease. Two million emigrated to Britain, Canada, and the United States.)
“France has corrupted the universe, one day it will be punished.” (French Revolution)
“Italy will be punished for her ambition … she will be left to fight a war.”
“Paris will burn (1870 Siege of Paris) and Marseilles will be engulfed (1944 Germany). Several cities will be shaken down and swallowed up by earthquakes.”
“a great peace will come but not last long — a monster will come to disturb it. All that I tell you here will arrive in the other century, at the latest in the year two thousand.”
“In the year 1864, Lucifer together with a large number of demons will be unloosed from hell.”
“Evil books will be abundant on earth and the spirits of darkness will spread everywhere.
“All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every [Christian] religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds.”
Loretto Chapel Staircase - 1878
Three mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of its builder, the type of wood used, and the physics of its construction.
When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.
Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters’ prayers.
The stairway’s carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today. (The Loretto Chapel)
Easley showed up at the chapel because he wanted to report his results in person. What he told Lindsley was straight to the point: the wood sample was spruce of no known subspecies. It matched nothing in the scientific record. Easley had wanted to thoroughly search through all known data. That’s what had caused the delay. He researched it further and after 18 months came out with a careful, measured statement saying that the wood from the staircase had molecules that were “very dense and square” and indicated that it had come from trees that grew slowly in a “very, very cold place,” like Alaska (not New Mexico).
That was interesting because at the time the chapel was constructed — by the mysterious stranger — there was no rail system that could have brought in the wood from such a distance, and no local trees that grew above an elevation of 10,000 feet — which is the only place of comparable cold. The closest match remained spruce from Alaska. In short, it was no known type. “He claimed to have discovered a new subspecies,” says Lindsley. “He called it Pinacae Ticea ‘Josefii’ Easley,” or ‘Loretto spruce.”
Let’s call it a mystery. Or a miracle. (Spirit Saily)
Pope Leo XIIII's Vision - 1884
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
One day, after celebrating Mass, the aged Pope Leo XIII was in conference with the Cardinals when suddenly he sank to the floor in a deep swoon. Physicians who hastened to his side could find no trace of his pulse and feared that he had expired. However, after a short interval the Holy Father regained consciousness and exclaimed with great emotion: “Oh, what a horrible picture I have been permitted to see!”
He had been shown a vision of evil spirits who had been released from Hell and their efforts to destroy the Church. But in the midst of the horror the archangel St. Michael appeared and cast Satan and his legions into the abyss of hell. Soon afterwards Pope Leo XIII composed the following prayer to Saint Michael, which is the original version: (from Tradition in Action)
Satan: “I can destroy your Church.” The gentle voice of Our Lord: “You can? Then go ahead and do so.” Satan: “To do so, I need more time and more power.” Our Lord: “How much time? How much power? Satan: “75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves over to my service.” Our Lord: “You have the time; you will have the power. Do with them what you will.”
Pope Leo visibly shaken from his vision and immediately rushed to his study to compose the Saint Michael Prayer.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host by the Divine Power of God cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
Teddy Roosevelt’s Ride Up San Juan Hill Took Him to the White House - 1898
“it’s a miracle that Roosevelt even survived Cuba. At the July 1, 1898, Battle of San Juan Heights, he exposed himself time and again to the enemy’s fire. For a good part of the fight, he was the only man in the regiment on horseback (the cavalry division had been forced to leave nearly all of their horses behind in Florida), making him an irresistible target for the Spanish soldiers on the hilltops. They tried their damnedest to knock him out of his saddle but inexplicably failed. Instead, their errant shots wounded and killed Rough Riders who had the misfortune to be standing next to their colonel.”
.. Around the campfire on a cattle drive … “you will be president” one day.
Fatima the Miracle of the Sun - 1917
Sunday May 13th of 1917 in Portugal, three children Jacinta, Lucia, and Francisco tending sheep the Virgin Mary appeared “dressed in white more brilliant than the sun” holding the Rosary. She asked that they return the next on the 13th for the next five months.
June 13, 1917: She tells the children that God wants to establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (~50 people witness the apparition.) She opened her hands and the rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth children saw a sea of fire. … demons and souls of the damned in hell. The children were horrified.
“To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war [WWI] is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI (11th). When you see a night illumined by an unknown light [aurora borealis extending to Italy Jan 1938], know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war.
To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors [Godless Communism] throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. … In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
She tells the children the Secret (in three parts) She promises a miracle on October13, 1917. (~5,000 people present at the Cova)
October 13, 1917: Mary appeared said to say the Rosary every day and … “People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend Our Lord any more for He is already too much offended.” (~ 70,000 people present witness the Miracle of the Sun at the Cova)
Padre Pio, Bilocation and WWII - 1943
American commander wanted to lead a squadron of bombers himself to destroy the German arms depository of war materiel that was located at San Giovanni Rotondo. The commander related that as he approached the target, he and his pilots waw rising in the sky the figure of a friar with his hands held outward. The bombs released of their own accord, falling in the woods, and the planes completely reversed course without any intervention by the pilots.”
Someone told the commanding general that in a convent at this little town of San Giovanni Rotondo, there lived a saintly man, a friar in the odor of sanctity. At war’s end, the general wanted to go meet this person. “He was accompanied by several pilots,” Rosini continued. “He went to the convent of the Capuchins. As soon as he crossed the threshold of the sacrisity he found himself in front of several friars, among whom he immediately recognized the one who had ‘stopped’ his planes. Padre Pio went forward to meet him, and putting his hand on his shoulder, he said, “So, you’re the one who wanted to get rid of us all!”
The Battle of Midway - 1942
The Miracle of Dunkirk - 1942
Hiroshima - 1945
Hiroshima –
“We believe that we survived because we were living the message of Fatima. We lived and prayed the Rosary in that home.”
— Father Hubert Schiffer (1915-
Fight for The Pledge of Allegiance (Against the Evil of Communism) - 1954
To be added
The Pledge of Allegiance was created by Francis Bellamy, Vice President of the Christian Society of Socialists, to coincide with the 400 year anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the Americas. It was published anonymously in “The Youth’s Companion” magazine based out of Boston, in 1892. He disguised his real intent with the Pledge which was to promote the ideology of socialism, and government control of schools, under the guise of nationalism, and patriotism. At the time however, the country had no pledge to show respect for flag and country and citizens quickly adopted The Pledge of Allegiance. The wording has been changed twice over the years, to where it now reflects “the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.” For many today, The Pledge of Allegiance has become a National Prayer. The fight to keep the Pledge is a fight to keep God in American society, and his continued blessings of Liberty, and Freedom, upon the land.
Hebrides Revival - 1949-1952
The Revival came only to small towns or villages in the Hebrides, Scotland. ….
Our Lady of the Day – OUR LADY OF TURZOVKA, Turzovka, Slovakia - 1958
The geographical map is covered with three colors: the blue color indicating the sea; yellow the plains, and green the mountains and forests. Under the world map appears a black tablet on which are explained the changes that will happen on the map of the world. He notices seven changes in all. The first four and the last – the seventh – are regarding everything; the fifth and sixth he can only say them to the Holy Father. The first phase shows the colors in their symbolic meaning. The green color marks the boundary of Good and Hope of Salvation; the yellow color, the Evil and the Punishments. On the tablet it is written: “The plains are worse, and therefore they will be destroyed sooner… The green areas near the mountains will have the first hope of salvation. At the end it is written: “Do Penance! Pray for the priests! Say the Holy Rosary! “
The second image will see Evil advancing in the world, so the yellow color widens and cancels the green. In the third figure the yellow color submerges and covers the whole earth and a rain of fire falls from the clouds. The writing says:
“If men do not correct themselves, punishments and frightening catastrophes – sporadic or frequent – will come and men will be wiped out in various ways.
[…] Laschut sees gigantic craters and explosions that throw frightening content from the abyss that shakes everything around it from a distance. Wherever this substance or matter falls, all life ceases. Such are the consequences of sin: destruction, desert, spiritual death of all living beings. Fearful are the punishments, which were shown to Laschut, which men build with their own hands. The writing that appears on the tablet is a harsh warning:
“If men do not convert, they will be taken away with punishment.”
The seventh image is comforting. It shows what the world would be like if men lived according to the commandments of God. The globe is illuminated by the sun, a flowering, accord and peace can be seen on it.
The Lincoln Kennedy Coincidences - 100 Years apart in American history - 1964
Would God attempt to gain the attention of an entire nation, or perhaps the world, through coincidences of the lives of two great American Presidents? There are unique occurrences and coincidences in history that grab our attention, and challange our thinking, on the nature of reality. The stunning similarities in the lives of Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy, are one of those coincidences in American history that challange our thinking. The list of similarities between these two men, separated by 100 years of history have been around for many years, few have taken the time to look at their broader implications for our future. If the Lincoln-
Philippines 1986 - Civil War - The bloodless revolution has been deemed a miracle
In 1986 the threat of a civil war was hanging over Philippines. The totalitarian dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, established in 1972, was then dying away, while the dictator himself used to react nervously to any activities that could endanger his ruling. The country plunged into corruption and economic stagnation, communist fighting squads rose in power, while the prisons were crowded with Marcos’ political opponents.
However, the dictator was unwilling to evoke a conflict with the Church, whose respected Cardinal Jaime L. Sin had become a strong critic of the dictator’s ruling. The assassination of an uncompromised oppositionist Benigno Aquino in 1983 brought about Marcos in an open conflict with the nation. …
Twenty-five tanks and six thousand armed to the teeth ruthless professional troops were sent against the praying crowd. The two million people then knelt in the street facing the approaching tanks. They raised their rosaries and began to pray. And then something astounding happened – the tanks halted, and the military men began to join massively the praying people rather then to raid them. People approached the troops with flowers, gave them sandwiches, embraced them. Marcos was furious. He ordered to disperse the crowd with tear gas. When the gas containers were thrown into the crowd… the wind reversed unexpectedly and thus the aggressors had to flee. So was two hours later. An order was given to use mortars to shell Enrile. Initially the order was not obeyed since “no appropriate target had been found.” “We do not want to kill civilians” – explained the soldiers. After several hours of “seeking a target” the mortars were fired, but the shells appeared to be … blind. The crews of the task force helicopters sent to suppress the rebels … joined them instead. On February 25 Marcos fled to Hawaii. Corazon Aquino, the widow of Benigno, was elected new president.
What really happend to Apollo 13 - 1970
“OK, Houston, we’ve had a problem here”.
On the night of April 13th, 1970, when Apollo 13’s command module’s oxygen tank exploded, I monitored the position of warning system engineer. As a 27-year-old Rice University graduate electrical engineer, my experience with spacecraft alarm systems was but four years. Yet, like most of the NASA team, I knew the workings of the command ship and lander more intimately than any E.E. course taken to earn my B.S. degree.
Most remember the climax of the four day rescue as the safe splashdown in the Pacific after a compelling triumph of human ingenuity, brilliant acts of real time engineering, and courageous perseverance by Apollo 13’s three crew members. The real story is so much more. It begins with an audience of, perhaps, two billion people. Television, radio, and the newspapers alerted the world to the grave situation. Countless millions looked heavenward, both silently and audibly praying for a safe return of the three American astronauts. Last week, I noticed my wife wearing the bracelet with the medallion bought at the space center exchange store shortly after the successful 1970 rescue. The large coin pictured praying hands with the words “APOLLO 13…And The Whole World Prayed.”
Our Lady of Akita, Japan - 1973
“As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests.”
“The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them”
“With courage, speak to your superior. He will know how to encourage each one of you to pray and to accomplish works of reparation.”
Pope St. John Paul II, on March 25, 1984, consecrate the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and not just Russia alone, even though Our Lady of Fatima requested only the consecration of Russia? - 1984
Even though Russia was not mentioned by name, said the cloistered nun, “God knew that the Pope’s intention was Russia,” as did the bishops. She told the cardinal, bishop, and priest that Our Lady never required that Russia be mentioned by name (the key sticking point in lingering controversies. We were asked about it during our recent webinar, one reason it comes to mind.).
Remarkably, just weeks after that consecration — on May 13, 1984, the Fátima anniversary — an explosion at the Soviets’ Severomorsk Naval Base destroyed two-thirds of all the missiles stockpiled for the Soviets’ Northern Fleet. It also destroyed workshops needed to maintain the missiles and killed hundreds of technicians. Western military experts called it the worst naval disaster the Soviet Navy had suffered since WWII.
Even though Russia was not mentioned by name, said the cloistered nun, “God knew that the Pope’s intention was Russia,” as did the bishops. She told the cardinal, bishop, and priest that Our Lady never required that Russia be mentioned by name (the key sticking point in lingering controversies. We were asked about it during our recent webinar, one reason it comes to mind.) )(Spirit Daily_
Our Lady of Kibeho - 1980
Our Lady of Kibeho—The heavenly warnings that went unheeded with tragic consequences.
Beginning on November 28, 1981, the Blessed Virgin Mary (and later Jesus) chose to appear at regular intervals to a group of teenagers in the rural countryside of Kibeho, Rwanda, giving them urgent heavenly messages intended to be shared throughout the country and the entire world. Because of the great importance of the alleged heavenly messages, the Church immediately began investigating the visionaries and the messages, and on June 29, 2001, the local Bishop formally and officially approved the events pertaining to three of the visionaries.
The Rwandan Genocide–The prediction of “a river of blood”
But amidst the messages of encouragement to repentance and love of neighbor there was one very significant message that seemed to be the most important of all the Blessed Virgins messages; in 1982 the Blessed Virgin specifically predicted the horrible 1994 genocide–12 years before it occurred. She said that “a river of blood” would flow across Rwanda unless the Rwandan people stopped harboring hatred and animosity for each other, and instead would need to turn their hearts with love and brotherly charity towards one another. And on August 15, 1982, the seers saw “a river of blood, people who were killing each other, abandoned corpses with no one to bury them, trees all in flames, bodies without their heads.” (from the website Mystic of the Church)
The Eucharistic Miracle of Buenos Aires - 1996
On October 5, 1999, in the presence of the Cardinal’s representatives, Dr. Castanon took a sample of the bloody fragment and sent it to New York for analysis. Since he did not wish to prejudice the study, he purposely did not inform the team of scientists of its provenance. One of these scientists was Dr. Frederic Zugiba, the well-known cardiologist and forensic pathologist. He determined that the analyzed substance was real flesh and blood containing human DNA. Zugiba testified that, “the analyzed material is a fragment of the heart muscle found in the wall of the left ventricle close to the valves. This muscle is responsible for the contraction of the heart. It should be borne in mind that the left cardiac ventricle pumps blood to all parts of the body. The heart muscle is in an inflammatory condition and contains a large number of white blood cells. This indicates that the heart was alive at the time the sample was taken. It is my contention that the heart was alive, since white blood cells die outside a living organism. They require a living organism to sustain them. Thus, their presence indicates that the heart was alive when the sample was taken. What is more, these white blood cells had penetrated the tissue, which further indicates that the heart had been under severe stress, as if the owner had been beaten severely about the chest.”
Curse of the State Quarter - 1999
The United States Mint in 1999 issued the State Quarter series, five new designs each year to commemorate each state’s entry into the union. Then in 2003, a news article appeared with the headline, “The curse of the quarter: A strange series of coincidences befalls the 50 State Quarters.” The article detailed a strange series of coincidences that occurred in the states and symbols depicted on the coins.
Just three years after the release of the New Hampshire quarter in 2000, the state lost its iconic rock profile known as the “Old Man of the Mountain.” It collapsed leaving a pile of rubble. In New Jersey, depicted on the coin, Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River the annual re-enactment of had to be canceled due to severe weather. Also, the statehouse in Annapolis was hit by lightning causing a fire. The article went on to list other states and misfortunes with their state symbols on the coins, some are more convincing than others.
Why would God be calling call our attention something as obscure as the State Quarters? On the face on the older quarters the words IN GOD WE TRUST are prominently displayed to the left in front of the bust of George Washington. But on the new State Quarter design, it has been moved to the right or behind the bust of George Washington. Symbolically as depicted on the State Quarters we have put IN GOD WE TRUST or God behind us as a nation.
The curse of the quarter could be interpreted as a message for the country that we need to put God back in His rightful position in back front of us as a nation.
Another view on the state quarter from Chris Yoon.
“God had me look at these quarters for something prophetic about America.”