BLESSING OF MAY 3^rd , 2003. FIRST SATURDAY OF MONTH, AT
PRADO NUEVO OF EL ESCORIAL (MADRID)

THE VIRGIN:

"Raise all your objects. All will be blessed for the day of darkness. I bless you as the Father blesses you, through the Son and with the Holy Spirit"

COMMENTARY UPON MESSAGES

November 6^th, 1981

In this message, the Virgin focuses her interest and request on the chapel She has been asking for repeatedly through the messages. And She points out that some graces depend on it; in other words, we will receive them when we fulfil her wish: "Tell them that the graces they need will not come unless they fulfil this wish of mine of building a chapel in the place I have indicated you"

She only talks about a different subject in one paragraph, which we comment below:

"Tell all of my children that they must repent and stop listening to false doctrines which are not my Son’s; they have to listen to the Law of my Son’s Gospel, Jesus’ Gospels; they have to listen to God’s Word; the Law of the Gospel has been given to His Holy Church by my Son, because salvation will not be possible out of His Church"

How many doctrines charm current men! There are so many ways to attract their attention! Television, Internet, magazines, etc. All these could be employed as instruments for doing good to souls but they are constantly used to damage them. Ways of thinking and living opposed to the evangelical law prevail over it and, consequently, the majority of us feel defenceless. One of the most deceptive realities existing since the last 20^th century, against which we have been warned by the Pope John Paul II (1), is the so-called "New Age"; it is a pseudo-spiritual movement that holds ideas, concepts and practices that are incompatible with Christianity and catholic faith. It is presented in many different ways; therefore, it is necessary to be firm in both prayer and attentive listening to God’s word in order to avoid being mistaken and deceived, as the message points out.

In a world such as ours, secularised and materialist, we always must be on the watch in order not to be decened by its charms, flatterings and attractiveness, which are opposed to the Gospel. Saint John, taking Jesus’ words into account, sets clearly that at true Christian has to fight against the world’s ways of living at every moment of history: " I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world" (Jn 17, 14-16)

"Not belong to the world" means that we should not let ourselves be carried away by in the world, that is to say, by the vices and wickedness of those who are on earth and, dominated by their passions, do not want to know anything about God. The majority of us have to live in the world because of different reasons: family, job, social relationships, etc, but the true disciple of Christ, although living in the world, tries to impregnate temporal realities with a supernatural perfume, that one emanating from Jesus Christ: "For we are the aroma of Christ for God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing" (2 Cor 2, 15), through a honest life based on the search of Christian perfection whatever it be our state of life or profession.

The last sentence of the previous paragraph needs to be explained to avoid misunderstandings. It coincides with the classical expression repeated by the Fathers of the Church, "outside the Church there is no salvation", and it also entitles some numbers of the new catechism. How do we have to understand these words? They mean that salvation comes from Christ-Head through the Church, which is his Body; every man’s salvation is due to Jesus Christ’s merits. Number 847 of the catechism mentioned above says exactly: "This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: " those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience- those too may achieve salvation". We know that God, in his infinite mercy, wants all men to save their souls. The catechism it self teaches: " Since Christ died for all, and since men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery"

How much gratitude for being in the Church’s bosom we should feel! Unfortunately, there are people who do not respect and love the Church properly, and they critice it easily refuting its teachings and commands. How different Saint Vincent of Lerins’ words are!: "The true and authentic catholic is the one who loves God’s truth and the Church, body of Christ; he does place nothing before divine religion and catholic Church; neither a man’s authority, nor love, nor wisdom, nor eloquence, nor philosophy; despising all these things and remaining firm in faith, he is determined to admit and believe only in what the Church has always and universally believed in" (2) Let’s repeat with The Credo "we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church", let’s love the Church, Let’s follow its teachings, likewise, let’s love the Roman Pontiff , let’s listen attentively to his words and let’s fulfil his teachings. Let’s invoke Mary as Mother of the Church, as She was proclaimed by the pope Paul VI: " For the Glory of Mary and our comfort, we proclaim The Blessed Virgin "Mother of the Church", that is to say, Mother of all God’s people, of all the faithful of God as well as the ministers who call her loving Mother, and from now on we want her to be honoured and invoked with this great title by all the Christian people" (3).

1- Speech to the Bishops, May the 28^th, 1993 Crossing the Threshold of Hope

2-"Connmonitorio, nº 20

3-Final Speech, III session Vatican Council, November 21^st, 1964