BLESSING OF AUGUST, THE 3RD, 2002, FIRST SATURDAY OF MONTH

BLESSING OF AUGUST THE 3^RD, 2002, FIRST SATURDAY OF MONTH.
AT PRADO NUEVO, EL ESCORIAL (MADRID)

THE BLESSED VIRGIN:

My children, once more, to give you My Blessing. This Blessing is for the day of darkness. Raise your objects; all will be blessed with especial blessings. I bless you as the Father blesses you, through the Son and with the Holy Spirit

COMMENTARY ON MESSAGES

May the 10^th, 2002

In this short message, the Blessed Virgin firstly shows Her joy to those listening to Her because they are fulfilling the Holy Rosary, which She has asked for; however, She tells them to get " closer to the Eucharist (...) to take Holy Communion on first Fridays of month" as she asked for in the previous celestial message of May, the 1^st; therefore, She reminds us of the value of that repairable Communion and all the graces in It. Secondly, two types of sin are mentioned: impurity, which offends much the Lord and lowers man to the condition of animal, controlled by flesh; moreover, it pulls him to other sins and vices. And pride, which closes the doors of Heaven; She recommends the practice of humbleness to defeat this deadly sin so hateful before God’s eyes. "Pride is odious to both God and man" is said in the book of Sirach (10,7), and the letter of James (4,6) teaches that God "opposes the proud but gives his favour to the humble".

Before saying good-bye, The Virgin Mary insists on receiving Holy Communion: "get close to the Eucharist, be constant in receiving the Body of Jesus". Certainly, this is the main Sacrament; the others give us certain graces; In the Eucharist, it is given to us the Author of Grace: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is really alive and immortal with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Take Holy Communion frequently! it is a continuous call in the messages of Prado Nuevo; but let’s do it properly by being in grace ( without any mortal sin), fulfilling the Eucharistic Fast, knowing whom we are going to receive and taking Holy Communion with as much devotion as possible. In this way, every time we receive Holy Communion, the spiritual beauty of our souls will increase and we will become favoritefriends of the Heart of Jesus.

June the 14^th, 1981

"I am the Virgin of Sorrows. I want a chapel to be built in this place (she points at the location where She wants it to be made), a chapel in my honour. I want people to come here from all over the world to meditate on the Passion of my Son, which is completely forgotten. If they do what I say, people will be cured. This water will cure. I will bless all those who come here to say the Rosary everyday. Many people will be marked with a cross on their foreheads. Do penance. Pray"

These words will always be written with golden letters in the pages of an admirable history that starts in November 1980 -with several extraordinary events and manifestations- and will go on up to the important date of 14^th June 1981, the beginning of the apparitions in the ash tree of Prado Nuevo; this is the date when these simple but deep words, written above, were uttered summarizing the spirit of more than twenty years of messages. It was the Sunday of the Holy Trinity, as if Heaven pointed out the origin of everything (that is to say, all comes from God, three Persons in one God), and also the end, because everything must be lead to Him It is also specified the mission of the Blessed Virgin in all authentic apparitions : guiding souls to God and His Church. This is connected with those words from the Gospel pronounced by Herself in the Wedding at Cana: "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2,5).

We can say that devotion to the Virgin of Sorrows is as old as the Church itself because it began in the Calvary, beside the Cross, when Mary became Co-redeemer together with Christ for the salvation of human race. What the Blessed Virgin has done in Prado Nuevo is bringing this reality to current men’s memories in these days: the redeemable suffering of Jesus and His Mother’s sorrows, caused by humankind’s sins.

Apart from that, it is the first time Our Lady asks for a chapel, this will be repeated through the years at different times. She determines its function: meditate on Christ’s Passion remembered by only a few; in fact, even we, Christians, hardly ever regard its importance. Nevertheless, San Juan de la Cruz wrote: " It is a very good and holy thing thinking about the Lord’s Passion and meditating on it, because this way leads you to a holy union with God. In this holy school the true wisdom is learnt and all Saints have learnt it there" (Carta I, 43).

The Virgin promises healing if her wishes are fulfilled: "This water will cure", She refers to the water flowing from the spring near the ash tree. She also talks about blessings on those who come to say the Rosary to this place chosen by God, and spiritual cross-marks on foreheads, a Heaven protection sign. At the end, She makes two requests that include the most repeated words in the following messages: "Do penance. Pray" Penance is necessary to achieve eternal life, and a way of getting God’s forgiveness in.The book of Ezekiel it is said: "If the sinner turns from his sin, observes my decrees and practices what is right and just, he will live, he will not die" (Ez 18, 21). Prayer is the indispensable food for our souls, and a way of sanctification and close communication with God. To finish with, let’s consider some words of our Pope to encourage us to pray: "do not give up praying! Do not let any day end without praying a little! Prayer is a duty, and a great joy too because it is a dialogue with God by means of Jesus Christ!" (John Paul II, Speech, 14/3/1979)