In part 1, we saw that there are powerful reasons for accepting the authenticity of the apparitions of Garabandal. We deliberately avoided the subject of the prophecies associated with the visions, since these have become the source of controversy over the years. Some of the websites dedicated to the visions have no shortage of speculation as to when and how the prophecies will be fulfilled. However, at this point, it is essential that we mention these prophecies as they are a fundamental part of the overall message.
The Prophecies of Garabandal
Our Lady foretold three happenings by which God will move the world to a deep conversion. These consist of a Warning, a Miracle and the Chastisement. The Warning involves the direct enlightenment of the conscience of every person in the world at the same time. The event is to last a number of minutes during which each of us will become aware of our sinfulness and need for God’s mercy. The Miracle will happen at Garabandal in the same year as the Warning. After the Miracle, a supernatural sign will be left at the area of the village known as “the Pines” where many of the original apparitions occurred. This sign will be indestructible and will remain until the end of the world. The Chastisement consists in a time of terrible tribulation for humanity, ultimately directed towards our conversion. It can still be averted if we turn back to God in time. Our Lady revealed to Conchita the exact date of the Miracle. Conchita, in turn, will announce it to the world eight days in advance.
Why the Extraordinary Manifestations?
Let us return to our question: what do the prodigies of Garabandal signify? Why did so many extraordinary things happen there, both in variety and in number? As with everything that happens in our lives, the Lord expects us to use our reason, guided by faith, to contemplate such mysteries. So much of the ink wasted on Garabandal in the past fifty years has tried to predict the dates of the Warning and the Miracle! The real message of Garabandal is something much more urgent and personal than the revelation of a future event. It is something that was as relevant in 1965 as it is in 2020, even if the foretold events are indeed now immanent.
- The occurrences were dramatic because the need is urgent
The fundamental message of Garabandal is identical to the basic message proclaimed in the Gospel: repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Unlike Medjugorje with its regular messages, there were only two main announcements in Garabandal. Like Medjugorje, both call for sorrow for sins, penance and renewed devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Both announcements say that humanity will suffer the consequences if it does not turn away from sin. Given that the overall message is relatively simple, we might wonder at the exceptional nature of the signs that accompanied the message.
In the Gospels, the miracle stories of Jesus give us a vital clue. The meaning of the signs is always to facilitate reception of the message, from the very first miracle that the Lord performs: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2,11). At Garabandal we have been given a wealth of signs so that we will believe in the message, repent of our sins and become devoted to the Holy Eucharist. The convincing supernatural character of the signs is a powerful indication that the message too has a supernatural origin, that it too comes from God.
If the signs were unusually dramatic in this isolated Spanish village, then that is an indication that we are being encouraged to repent in a dramatic fashion. People have looked with scepticism on Garabandal and said, “What a circus! It was all over the top!” But supernatural signs never point to themselves. They point to a deeper spiritual reality, and how can deeply spiritual realities ever be “over the top”? The fantastic drama of Garabandal, the urgency and energy of the ecstasies, are a call to urgent conversion on the part of the faithful. This is as true today as it was in 1965. The striking heavenly aspect of the occurrences is telling us: Turn away from sin and turn back to God! Do so completely and do it now!
- The prodigies were remarkable because the date of fulfilment of the prophecies was relatively late
It is highly instructive to look objectively at what has happened to some former devotees of Garabandal. Many people were convinced of its supernatural origin and put much energy into trying to discern the dates of the Warning and Miracle. Using reasoning that was more or less enlightened, they began to speculate that the events ought to happen on such and such a date. When the predicted date came and went, these devotees (in some cases) then revised their reasoning and fixed on a new likely date for fulfilment. After numerous expectant waits of this sort, all of which ended in disappointment, some people became disenchanted with Garabandal. It should be clear, however, that such an approach is simply wrong-headed from the start. Am I to become sceptical of the heavenly origin of the events just because a foretold future sign does not happen on the date that I deem to be most fitting? Garabandal was chock-full of supernatural signs from the outset! Anyone who doubts its authenticity must have a reason that is more convincing than the mundane fact that the prophecies didn’t materialize as they expected.
Having said all that, it is understandable that even the most patient of people might begin to wonder if the foretold events are going to happen at all. Almost sixty years have passed. This fact, as mentioned above, may help explain the dramatic character of the visions. The relative delay in the fulfilment of the prophecies was always going to lead to growing scepticism. Therefore, heaven deemed it essential from the beginning that the truth of the apparitions be obvious. And so they were: the most spectacular ecstatic walks and falls ever recorded; privileged knowledge of consciences, histories and ownership of objects; levitations, healings and a succession of other prodigies that can be consulted in any of the books on the subject. The evident supernatural origin of the visions should be sufficient to sustain our faith – even until 2020 – that heaven visited Garabandal.
Thus, the dramatic supernatural aspect of Garabandal was already a clue that the foretold events would not happen quickly, that forbearance and faith would be needed. If the predicted events were due to happen within a few short years, then no miracles would have been required during the visions: the events themselves would have provided confirmation before too long. The very drama of Garabandal was an implicit pointer that its fulfilment lay some distance in the future.
- The dramatic supernatural aspect of Garabandal is a reminder that God’s ways are not our ways
As a college student, when I first saw images of the visions of Garabandal on a friend’s computer, I was struck by their “otherworldly” aspect – the unnatural angle of the girls’ heads as they looked upwards during the trances, the peculiarity of the ecstatic walks, the look of strange joy on the faces of the visionaries. Though struck by these features, I was not impressed or convinced. Something about these images seemed “weird” or just plain “wrong”. Now, after an interval of more than two decades, I have become convinced through consideration of the basic facts that these girls were in communication with heaven, with citizens of a kingdom that is “not of this world”. For the past fifty years, there has been a concerted effort on the part of many to conform the teachings of the Church to the spirit of this world. We see this particularly in the case of teachings on marriage, abortion and euthanasia. When we look at the behaviour of the girls during the visions in Garabandal, it is all too apparent that what was happening was not of this world. The seers’ gaze seemed to indicate that they were looking out of this world completely, looking into something that transcended material reality. In that sense, the otherworldly aspect of the visions is in perfect harmony with the message of Garabandal and that of the Gospel itself:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12,2).
Garabandal’s Importance Today
On the internet, there is no shortage of speculative posts about the date of the Warning and the Miracle. Much of this material has little to do with the real message of Garabandal, although it is understandable that people have a tendency to be preoccupied with events of an apocalyptic sort. Looking coldly at the situation, if the fulfilment is going to happen, then it seems that it must happen soon. Mari Loli has already died (in 2009), whereas Conchita is now seventy-one years of age, and it will be her task to announce the Miracle eight days in advance. Next year is the sixtieth anniversary of the first visions and the fortieth anniversary of Medjugorje. With these significant dates on the immediate horizon, it is perfectly natural that expectations will already be mounting in some quarters. But the real message of the visions is much more urgent than the discernment of the date of the Miracle! Humanity was visited at Garabandal with prodigious signs and wonders so that we would turn back to the Lord with all our hearts. Are we to ignore the meaning of these signs and wonders as we speculate idly about the details of a future sign? The future Miracle will have its function and value, but let not the function and value of the original prodigies go to waste!
The World’s Rejection of the 1961 Message
It is very revealing to examine what happened in Garabandal on October 18th 1961. On that evening, the girls promised to announce the first message that had been given to them for the world. Hundreds of people arrived from Spain and further afield. Some of them expected a miracle. Others thought that they might see Our Lady. The general expectation was that something remarkable would happen. At 10 pm, up at the pine trees in driving rain, Conchita read the message to the huddled assembly in a weak voice. The anti-climax was enormous. There were general groans and grumbles. Some people said aloud, “This is the end of Garabandal!” What was the message which provoked such disappointment? It was a condensed form of the Gospel, a call to repentance, theologically flawless, scrawled on a grubby scrap of paper and poignantly signed by all four children with their ages written beside their names.
As we can see, already in October 1961, just a few months into the series of visions, the message of the Gospel was being made secondary to the thirst for miraculous events. And the great irony of this situation is that genuine miraculous events were not in short supply! Contact with the supernatural was manifest on a daily basis in the behaviour of these girls from the very onset. Today, we have the benefit of hindsight, of twenty-twenty vision. We can observe that the message of Garabandal, which was nothing other than a distilled version of the Gospel call to conversion, was set aside on October 18th 1961 as the public hankered after something more titillating, and it has been set aside many times since. There is nothing titillating about the Gospel, but it alone will lead us to salvation.
Let us repeat it again. For no less than four years, a mountain village in the middle of nowhere was the scene of a startling manifestation of the supernatural. It is not something easy to admit. This author, for one, would prefer to maintain a sober distance from eccentricities of this kind, but the events speak for themselves. In fact, the very stones of Garabandal cry out. Any objective examination of these occurrences points to the direct participation of heaven in what happened. Let us never forget, however, that alongside the extraordinary prodigies was a simple message of repentance and conversion. Why were the events so extraordinary? So that the message would be embraced wholeheartedly and with urgency. And the prodigies were even more marvellous so that the message would continue to be embraced for the long vigil of sixty years while the world waited for the fulfilment of the promises of Our Lady. The wonders of Garabandal, surely, are all directed to one thing and one thing only: the reception of the message. Let us look at the events with the eyes of faith, heed the message and turn back to the Lord!
Even now”, declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” (Joel 2,12).
A more elaborated version of this article can be found at the author’s blog.
An article with Marc Conza addressing concerns about Garabandal.
32 thoughts on “20/20 Vision on the Mystery of Garabandal – Part II”
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The local ordinary has the final say.
On October 11, 1996 the new bishop, Jose Vilaplana, again placed his prohibition on the alleged apparitions and said it is final.
“Some people have been coming directly to the Diocese of Santander (Spain) asking about the alleged apparitions of Garabandal and especially for the answer about the position of the hierarchy of the Church concerning these apparitions.
I need to communicate that:
All the bishops of the diocese since 1961 through 1970 agreed that there was no supernatural validity for the apparitions.
In the month of December of 1977 Bishop Dal Val of Santander, in union with his predecessors, stated that in the six years of being bishop of Santander there were no new phenomena.
The same bishop, Dal Val, let a few years go by to allow the confusion or fanaticism to settle down, and then he initiated a commission to examine the apparitions in more depth. The conclusion of the commission agreed with the findings of the previous bishops. That there was no supernatural validity to such apparitions.
At the time of the conclusions of the study, in 1991, I was installed bishop in the diocese. So during my visit to Rome, as limina visit which happened in the same year, I presented to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith the study and I asked for pastoral direction concerning this case.
On Nov. 28, 1992, the Congregation sent me an answer saying that after examining the documentation, there was no need for direct intervention (by the Vatican) to take away the jurisdiction of the ordinary bishop of Santander in this case. Such a right belongs to the ordinary. Previous declarations of the Holy See agree in this finding. In the same letter they suggested that if I find it necessary to publish a declaration, that I reconfirm that there was no supernatural validity in the alleged apparitions, and this will make a unanimous position with my predecessors.
Given that the declarations of my predecessors who studied the case have been clear and unanimous, I don’t find it necessary to have a new public declaration that would raise notoriety about something which happened so long ago. However, I find it necessary to rewrite this report as a direct answer to the people who ask for direction concerning this question, which is now final: I agree with [and] I accept the decision of my predecessors and the direction of the Holy See.
In reference to the Eucharistic celebration in Garabandal, following the decision of my predecessors, I ruled that Masses can be celebrated only in the parish church and there will be no references to the alleged apparitions and visiting priests who want to say Mass must have approval from the pastor, who has my authorization. It’s my wish that this information is helpful to you.
My regards in Christ,
Jose Vilaplana
Bishop of Santander
Oct. 11, 1996
I believe God has the final say. Remember Joan of arc was burnt at the stake as a witch and a heretic, but 500 years later that was overturned. The Templars were also burnt at the stake for heresy and blasphemy, but that too was overturned and they were exonerated. Listen to the language of the Bishops…it cannot be proven to be of supernatural origin. That tells you something about where their hearts are. For me, and I can’t speak for anybody else, but Our Lady was asking for a leap of Faith. For me it is not something that needs to be proven by a Miracle, but something that needs to be lived from the heart. For me Garabandal opened up worlds I had never known. The Bishops can say whatever they want. Better to repent and be wrong than not repent and be right, in my opinion.
Sam,
Greetings from Marysville, California.
You write, “On October 11, 1996 the new bishop, Jose Vilaplana, again placed his prohibition on the alleged apparitions and said it is final.” The letter that you cite was written to Ramon Perez in June of 1993. After that, Vilaplana’s manner was to copy the letter and send it to those who asked. I got a copy (in Spanish) while in Santander in 1995. Yes, a recipient (EWTN was one that might well have had your mentioned date on it.) EWTN most likely wrote the introduction, “On October 11, ….” The original doesn’t have that qualifying statement, nor does it say anything about placing a prohibition. If he did say that, what would it mean? The only prohibition regarding these apparitions was issued by Bishop Beitia in 1962 and that was a conditional one. He forbid priests from going to the village without express permission from the Chancery. I know of only one priest who was denied that right. Bishop del Val Gallo removed that restriction.
Your most important error is the faulty translation of the original “no consta” evaluation. That is the second or neutral of the three judgements made on reported apparitions before a “yes” or “no” verdict is given. I recommend getting your own translation of “no consta.” Google translator is available. If Vilaplana de say as you write, why would popes, cardinals, archbishops, priests, and other well-informed CAtholics write in favor of these apparitions? See a long list of these in Appendix IV of “A Walk to Garabandal.” Be careful about spreading false information about Garabandal. There are three reliable (in my opinion) sources and one infallible one that state or imply that those who put obstacles against Garabandal are likely to suffer in eternity.
Respectfully
Ed Kelly
The truth here is that God Himself likes to cause strife among men by giving clues to men to speculate on. As such, people have been guessing and arguing about these dates for decades, and it is God who led them down this path. If the Warning does not unfold before May 13 (of 2021), and if the Miracle does not occur exactly on May 13 (of 2021), then the entire story was nothing more than a misleading farce from Heaven. Why? because one of the clues is so precise that it can only be associated with the date of May 13, 2021. The same is true of the Bible, which, in many sections, is so vague and unclear it can only be left to individual interpretation, and ultimately conflict. While God may have a perfectly good reason for having done this, the fact still remains that His platform for life-on-earth clearly promotes deception, confusion and conflict more than it promotes clarity, understanding and love. No human, like myself, should have ever have to point this out, but, unfortunately, this is where were at.
Rick, where did you read may 13 2021 is the day?
God only knows when these things will take place—keep in mind that Garabandal is also not confirmed by the Catholic Church (that’s not me saying it’s illegitimate by any means, I’m just pointing it out). Ultimately, humans can make guesses all they want, but God is in control of when these things will take place, if they do in fact take place. I don’t think it’s fair to claim that God promotes deception, confusion, and conflict…I feel like humans bring that upon themselves. We all need to accept that we are not in control, and need to realize that no matter how hard we try, we will never have the answers to questions we want answers to. We need to trust in God’s plan and stop trying to predict things/find answers to things that are completely out of our hands! God is infinitely above us and our cognition.
This is the most intelligent commentary on Garabandal I have yet to read, anywhere. I have come to the same conclusions, including the date. But don’t lose your faith Rick, there is a method to the madness that gradually becomes clear to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
I find the happenings at Garabandal very difficult to understand. On one hand, many of the messages seem well in line with Catholicism, but the miracles seen the sort that a very smart and powerful devil could perform. For example the phenomenon of the girls running up the hill at an impossible pace was repeated at Medjugorje See The Miracle Detective, by Randall Sullivan. And levitations are easy for devils.
Hi Howard, thanks for your comment. Granted, some of the supernatural happenings might seem strange and make us wonder. However – and this was the point of part 1 of the article – it is important to get a perspective on the whole picture of Garabandal. When we consider the content of the messages (devotion to prayer and the Eucharist, conversion of heart), when we see the attitudes and behaviour of the visionaries (fidelity to the Church, modesty, self-control, discretion), then it is hard to see how such supernatural prodigies could have had anything but a heavenly origin. Also, as Marco Conza has pointed out, when we consider the ecstasies in their totality (and not just brief minutes of them) then they seem much less strange. We hear the girls reciting their prayers with reverence and joy, surely something impossible if they were of demonic inspiration. For these and other reasons Howard I have become a believer. The point of Garabandal, however, is not to remain focussed on Garabandal. It is to return to the basic Gospel message of repentance and attachment to Jesus. God bless you Howard.
Edward
Howard, One can speculate & hypothesize all he wants, but common sense will make the truth, in this instance, much easier to understand and accept. You see, no matter how the events in Garabandal match-up with one’s understanding of Catholic teaching (Canon Law), God gave no set rules for miraculous events that would occur on earth. What God told you/us is that if it bears good fruit, trust that it is of God. In the case of Garabandal, Satan did not spend four years there trying to bring people back to his nemesis (Jesus). He also did not encourage people to avoid sin, recite the Rosary daily, attend holy mass daily, go to confession monthly and receive holy communion daily. As for the children themselves, there was never any question that the miraculous events that occurred (during their experiences) defied any “rational” scientific explanation. Anyone who claims otherwise is simply trying to deny the relevant scientific testing that was done while these events were actually in progress during the early 1960’s. Any further analysis of these events would be nothing more than an attempt to distort and disarm the facts gathered years ago through repeated eyewitness observation and scientific testing. While I know the truth of these events through my many years of study, as well as my personal experiences, I feel immense sadness for the millions of people who’s faith is so frail they become disconnected from the wisdom that is available to all mankind through the Holy Spirit. For these people, only in death will they trust what God was attempting to reveal to them on earth. So don’t let the details eat you up… The truth here is much easier to uncover than you think.
Certainly is a lot of pontification in the comments that seem to be more aimed at promoting a certain belief as to what happened (and will happen). I should think we would be more concerned regarding what we as a Christian people are to do about the conditions about us rather than await some mystical event that removes responsibility for our duties. In the event of private revelations, those to whom they are directed will clearly see and understand the message. They are obviously intended that way. In the matter of more public revelations, Fatima comes to mind, it is also made clear the nature of the message and the nature of our responsibility. Heaven does as it will and lengthy commentary neither changes what is to be believed nor does it convince the unbeliever.
Hi Donald, thank you for your contribution. The basic message of Garabandal is very simple and direct. It is to be be personally converted to the Lord and be devoted to the Eucharist and the sacraments in a radical way. In no way does Garabandal seek to remove responsibility to our duties, quite the contrary. The Garabandal message is very much in line with Fatima and other places. God bless, Edward
I saw a film on tv about this many years ago. As I watched the girls’ voices became low, gutteral and ugly. Demonic! It scared me. Who runs up a hill backwards? Our Lady is gentle and peaceful. None of this strangeness would be from Her.
Hi Jackie,
Allow me to respond to your statement: “the girls’ voices became low, gutteral and ugly. Demonic! It scared me. Who runs up a hill backwards? Our Lady is gentle and peaceful. None of this strangeness would be from Her.”
You undoubtedly saw a program that provided A VERY BRIEF soundbite of the girls speaking in ecstasy. These few isolated seconds by themselves can sound eerie or strange to someone unfamiliar with Garabandal as a whole or Catholic mysticism in general. As one who has had firsthand access to the original photographs, film footage, and audio recordings from the Garabandal ecstasies, I can assure you, none of the visionaries’ voices were EVER “gutteral and ugly.” Allow me to desmystify this misunderstood “trait” common to the ecstasies at Garabandal.
I will first begin by once again referring, as I did with Jim Stewart elsewhere in these comments, to the Lives of the Saints. This type of speech was VERY COMMON in the lives of the great mystics, and I will explain why in a moment. But first I need to explain the difference between “apocalyptic” and “eschatological”. “Apocalyptic”, in terms of Catholic prophetic mysticism, and particularly Marian apparitions, refers to significant Church, societal, and/or Earth-changing themes. Although it is used interchangeably with “end times” themes to many peoples’ confusion, it does NOT refer to the end of the world, Antichrist, and the Second Coming of Our Lord. “End time” themes are “eschatological.”
In keeping with the harmony of Sacred Scripture, unbroken Apostolic Tradition, and the approved prophecies of the Saints, we are living in the LATTER DAYS of the world, but NOT in the END TIMES of the world. Garabandal, like Fatima, addresses our current, apocalyptic times.
That being said, when we look at the WHOLE prophetic content of Garabandal, it is full, from beginning to end, with very serious admonitions and prophecies. Much of this prophetic content is secret, according to Our Lady’s wishes, for very good reason. It is sensational. We see that already from what She has ALLOWED to be revealed, and the endless obsession by many followers of Garabandal to try to figure out what She has NOT allowed to be revealed yet, as though that’s the only thing Garabandal is about. For example, there are the endless attempts to calculate the date of the Miracle (even by Garabandal insiders WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER) and all have failed because NO ONE CAN OUTSMART OUR LADY. But they never learn, and Garabandal has sustained quite a few blows from critics over this.
Also, the four visionaries were adolescent girls on the brink of maturity, but with an educational background (due to their isolation) of girls a few years younger. Thus, in their childlike style, they were very open and familiar with Our Lady and discussed with Her everything about their family lives, themselves, and their failings. In other words, VERY PERSONAL THINGS sometimes. Thus, the primary reason for the low, whispery voices during the ecstasies was Our Lady’s device for ensuring THE CONFIDENTIAL INTEGRITY of everything She discussed with them, and what they discussed with Her. That is number one.
Number two, if you were to listen to an audio recording of an entire typical ecstasy, which lasted anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, you would hear the visionaries talking, singing, and praying. THERE IS NOTHING “UGLY” OR SINISTER ABOUT THEIR SPEECH.
When they sang and prayed, their voices were AT NORMAL LEVEL, clearly heard by all, and the onlookers would join in. Only when they spoke in conversation did their voices come out as low and whispery. (For the girls from within their own viewpoint in ecstasy, they all spoke and heard each other normally)
It had to be this way, because the girls could blurt out something personal about themselves or family members at any given moment, and Our Lady’s responses would be personal, not to mention the fact that She might speak about something that She had asked them to keep secret. But even this wasn’t a complete fail-safe, and Our Lady had to intervene with another vocal strategy as I will explain now.
As the apparitions became more publicized and greater numbers came to Garabandal to witness them, many people brought recording equipment with them. The most famous of these was Placido Ruiloba. His audio archive of more than 1,000 ecstasies is the most comprehensive collection from Garabandal that we possess. He has many instances of audio recordings where Conchita is talking to Our Lady about the Miracle (or some other secret topic), AND OUR LADY IS HEARD ANSWERING HER. However, although Conchita is speaking in her characteristic ecstatic whisper, Placido’s mike captures all the words clearly UNTIL CONCHITA STARTS TALKING ABOUT THE MIRACLE (or other secret topic). Then, quite remarkably, nothing Conchita is heard saying makes any sense, IT SOUNDS SCRAMBLED. Our Lady’s words back to Conchita ARE ALSO SCRAMBLED. The moment Conchita stops speaking about the particular topic, everything Conchita says (still in her ecstatic whisper, mind you) is heard clearly again.
When Placido Ruiloba played back one of these recording for Conchita when she was not in ecstasy, he asked her what she and Our Lady were saying in those moments when their words were scrambled. Conchita smiled and said, “If I told you that, you would know everything about the Warning and the Miracle that Our Lady wants to keep secret.”
THIS IS NOT DEMONIC.
THIS IS OUR LADY PROTECTING HER SECRETS.
Garabandal is an extremely confusing subject, for anyone with familiarity with the events. The plethora of preternatural phenomena make it abundantly clear that SOMETHING happened there, and the messages are squarely in line with orthodox Catholicism.
Even the most common objection to the apparitions–the girls’ retractions–was itself a foretold event, a prophecy in the fashion of the prophet Ezekiel: that by their contradictions and confusions and denials, they would demonstrate the confusion present within the Church itself. It should be abundantly clear that this prophecy was fulfilled to a terrifying degree.
At the same time, though, there have been too many failed prophecies for the apparitions to be real. Three in particular stand out:
-Joey Lomangino was supposed to recover his eyesight on the day of the Miracle, and see normally afterward. He died several years ago. (I am aware of the claims that he “gave up” his cure, but I do not find them persuasive, as the cure was not just for him–it was supposed to be a sign of the apparitions’ veracity.)
-After John XXIII, there would be three more popes–one of whom would reign for only a short time–and then would come “the end of the times,” but not the end of the world (probably best interpreted as “the end of the era”). The three popes came and passed, and one of them, John Paul I, did indeed have a brief reign–but after that, nothing happened during the reign of Benedict XVI.
-Vatican II, ongoing at the time of the apparitions, was prophesied to be a great success. I trust I don’t need to go into any great detail about this one.
We’ll probably only have a definitive answer about Garabandal, one way or another, when the Warning and Miracle come, or when Conchita passes away (she is supposed to announce the Miracle a week in advance). But at this point, it almost certainly has to be considered a false apparition.
LV,
I understand your reasoning, and doubtless many out there think exactly as you do about the points you make. Let us first look at your statement, however, about Joey Lomangino: “I am aware of the claims that he “gave up” his cure, but I do not find them persuasive, as the cure was not just for him–it was supposed to be a sign of the apparitions’ veracity.”
You are incorrect when you say “the cure was not just for him, it was supposed to be a sign of the apparitions’ veracity.” First of all, the cure absolutely WAS just for Joey, and NOWHERE was it said, either by Our Lady, or any of the four visionaries, that the authenticity of Garabandal hinged on Joey Lomangino being cured. It was a CONDITIONAL prophecy, as opposed to a FIXED prophecy.
A “fixed” prophecy is one that ABSOLUTELY MUST TAKE PLACE WITHOUT FAIL to authenticate the prophet. The Warning and the Miracle are FIXED prophecies. Garabandal’s veracity hinges on THESE TWO EVENTS ONLY. If THEY fail to occur, Garabandal is unequivocally a false apparition.
Let’s look at Joey’s situation a bit differently. Let’s just say that he did not die, but was to survive until the time of the Miracle. Let’s say Conchita announces the date of the Miracle 8 days before like she’s supposed to, and Joey and his family get ready to go, and at the last minute Joey decides he doesn’t want to go to Garabandal and be cured, he wants to sacrifice his cure back to God for His Glory and the salvation of souls. So he stays home while his family goes to the Miracle without him.
The Miracle takes place and the supernatural Sign is left at the Pines forever as prophesied. But the world doesn’t learn that Joey stayed behind and didn’t receive his cure until AFTER the Miracle takes place. Does that mean Garabandal has “failed” or is “false” because, although the Warning and the Miracle occurred on schedule as promised, Joey made a personal decision to not be present at the Miracle and receive his promised cure? That is unfair to Joey, who, of his own FREE WILL which God gives each of us, made a heroic sacrifice that most of us would undoubtedly not be selfless enough to make. Furthermore, it is even more unfair to Our Lady that She should be deprived of Joey’s sacrifice for the good of Her Cause simply because people might think that everything She did at Garabandal depended solely on Joey Lomangino getting his eyesight back and nothing else!
As for the rest of your comments about the Popes and Vatican II, I could refute them and properly explain them if I were permitted, but I can’t. Since this is the unfortunate case, all I can say is that it all will be clear after the Warning and the Miracle. In the meantime, if you cannot be satisfied with this and must personally conclude Garabandal is false for now, I will answer with Conchita’s own words: “It doesn’t matter if you believe in the apparitions, as long as you fulfill the Message.”
God Bless you in your journey toward the truth.
walking backwards and in bizarre contortions is not of god! its demonic. garabandal and even medjugorie are garbage
Jim Stewart,
You are not the first to suggest that the visionaries “walking backwards and in bizarre contortions is not of god! its demonic.” Its a fair enough assessment if taken by themselves, but when considered in the entire context of the apparitions they are actually quite normal as far as Divine Mysticism goes. Allow me to explain.
The “acrobatics” (if you will) that the visionaries did in ecstasy – the oscillations, stiffness, falls, “contortions”, walking backwards, levitations, jumps, etc. – was VERY COMMON in the lives of many of the great mystics who have been canonized as Saints. St. Catherine of Siena, St. Veronica Giuliani, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Blessed Elizabeth Canori-Mora, and many, many others did all of these things and EVEN THINGS WE WOULD REGARD AS FAR MORE STRANGE that the visionaries of Garabandal NEVER did.
For example, St. Veronica Giuliani, while in ecstasy, shimmied up a tree in the convent garden (barefoot) to the very top branches to sing to God at the top of her lungs. Other times (as happened to St. Catherine and St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi also) she would be in the kitchen washing dishes, cooking, or performing some other task when an ecstasy overcame her and she went straight and stiff and just fell over like a board onto the floor. She would remain frozen like this until the ecstasy finished.
St. Catherine of Siena sometimes fell forward flat on her face in ecstasy, and remained like this until it was over. One time she was carrying eggs in her apron when this happened, and she was so completely flat and stretched out face down on the ground that it was impossible for the eggs not to be crushed. Yet when the ecstasy finished, she got up and it was discovered that none of the eggs had broken or even cracked.
The ecstasies of the visionaries at Garabandal in all their unusualness, were witnessed firsthand by a number of the most qualified theologians in the Church at the time, and they have assured us that there was nothing in their behavior that was preternatural or demonic at all.
Did not St. John the Evangelist, as he writes at the beginning of the Book of Revelation, “fall down AS ONE DEAD” before Christ Who appeared to him in His Glory? (Rev. 1:17)
“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways,’ saith the LORD, ‘For as the Heavens are above the Earth, so are My Ways.” (Isaiah 55: 8-9)
The clicker for me was: “When Communism returns….” When the Soviet Union collapsed and the Berlin Wall fell, most people believed it was the end of Communism. Right now it is alive and well in all institutions of American society including the educational system. The United States is in a battle for its very soul. Pray for us.
Victoria
I used to believe in Garabandal and once met Joey Lomingino at his home. I wish it was true but I no longer think so. Watching this 4 minute video where one of the visionaries claims the Virgin Mary was about to “drop the baby Jesus” made me realize something is terribly wrong:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPDRbO_qJ7g
The claim (and the video clip) that “Mary was about to ‘drop the baby Jesus’ ” is from Medjugorje, not Garabandal. During this “apparition”, Vicka Dragicevic, who was supposed to be in “ecstasy” and thus oblivious to her surroundings as they like to claim, dodged the fingers an onlooker poked at her eyes to test this. After the “apparition”, she claimed that at the moment she made this maneuver “the baby Jesus” was about to fall out of “Our Lady’s” arms and she was reacting to that, (and thus the fingers jabbing at her eyes just happened to coincide with her reaction, making it look like she was not in a real “ecstasy”)
So David, you’re correct, something is terribly wrong with someone who claims to see Our Lady losing Her grip on the Baby Jesus during an apparition…. It NEVER happened at Garabandal…. But, according to Vicka Dragicevic, it happened at Medjugorje.
Hi, I remember seeing this on tv when I was a child. At the same time my church was busy changing into what we have today. I did not understand much about Garabandal but the changes in our church made me sad. It was a spiritual loss and fast forward to today I am deprived of communion because of the corona virus, and because I receive on the tongue and this is prohibited. I lament to the Lord that even the dogs can eat the crumbs that fall from the Masters table. This obedience is I hope an acceptable sacrifice as we wait on the Lord. If a sacrifice is easy it not much of a sacrifice I guess. Edith
Hi, I remember seeing this on tv when I was a child. At the same time my church was busy changing into what we have today. I did not understand much about Garabandal but the changes in our church made me sad. It was a spiritual loss and fast forward to today I am deprived of communion because of the corona virus, because I receive on the tongue and this is prohibited. I lament to the Lord even the dogs can eat the crumbs that fall from the table. This is I hope an acceptable sacrifice as we wait on the Lord. If a sacrifice is easy it not much of a sacrifice I guess. Edith
There are also prophecies of our Lady to the girls that center on Padre Pio ( whom you mentioned in part one of your article) and Joey Lomangino and the promise of the restoration of his eyes on the day of the miracle. However, he died many years ago and he never saw the miracle.( but who knows?) That prophecy was also the cause of many peoples disbelief in the overall message of our Lady. I am also one of those who saw on tv the footage of the miracles like you many years ago, but I do give this apparition credence. To get more info on those prophesies I mentioned you can go to The mystics of the Church website: https://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2014/06/the-death-of-joey-lomangino-blow-to.html
Hi Rosemary, thanks for that. Marc Conza gave a good reply yesterday (see the comments below part 1 of this post) regarding Joey’s cure. Marc was close to Joey and he is aware that Joey actually offered his cure back to the Lord, for the greater glory of God. It is not the first time by any means that people have offered themselves, their health or their longevity in this way as victim souls. The father of St Therese of Lisieux, Louis Martin, did the same, and he is now a canonised saint. Anyway Rosemary thanks again and please have a look at Marc’s comment.
I guess all we can do is pray that it is true. If it were to ever to occur, right now would be a great time.
Jeff, do not worry. God is in complete control and He will make everything happen at the precise moment it will give Him the MOST glory and be most advantageous for our individual and collective good. .
Thank you for your post.
It’s weird that I shared those exact feelings you had the first time you heard of Garabandal. At one point I even thought that the whole affair was not of Godly origin because of the outlandishness of it all. But I must concede you are right. This is the Book of Revelation in real life. Those weird symbolisms in the Book have to be so as they point to a much deeper spiritual reality that no human vocabulary could convey.
My son and I were in Dublin in 2017 en route for the Camino de Santiago and the 100th Fatima Anniversary. We purposely stayed for one night in Dublin. To my utter dismay, there was not even one Church celebrating the Holy Sacrifice at the time we were there. But sure enough, both of us got a pint of beer each.
I am drawn to Ireland because of the Irish missionary priests that I’ve come to know. God has a special eye on Ireland. Don’t lose your lampstand and let it be taken away.
Thanks Domingo! God bless,
Edward
“At one point I even thought that the whole affair was not of Godly origin because of the outlandishness of it all. But I must concede you are right. This is the Book of Revelation in real life. Those weird symbolisms in the Book have to be so as they point to a much deeper spiritual reality that no human vocabulary could convey.”
Domingo, you have no idea HOW SPOT ON you are about making this comparison. I wish I could even briefly begin breaking this down for you. And I am not even talking about the secrets given to Conchita, but what is plainly there for all to see and which answers all the apparent “discrepancies”, “contradictions”, and “bizarreness” about Garabandal, BUT WHICH FOR SOME REASON PEOPLE, EVEN THE CLERGY, CANNOT MAKE THE CONNECTIONS AND SEE IT.
But I have been told I must first wait for the Church to make Her final ruling on Garabandal before speaking about it (which of course will be too late), so I must let Our Lady reveal it in Her own way and at the time She deems fit.
Bottom line advice: Do not obsess over the prophecies or any of the spectacular tangents of the apparitions of Garabandal, because that is not what will lead to our holiness or will help an unbalanced world that is becoming more erratic and destructive every day.
Just fulfill Our Lady’s requests to the letter as best as you can. That is ultimately what is requested of us, and what will make all the difference either way.
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