Posted on 10/09/2001 8:21:36 PM PDT by Diago
OUR LADY AND ISLAM: HEAVEN’S PEACE PLAN
Fr Ladis J. Cizik, Blue Army National Executive Director
Islam Islam is an Arabic word that can be defined as "to make peace." Islam is the religion founded by Mohammed, which considers the Koran as its holy book. In addition, Islam accepts the New Testament of the Christians and the Old Testament of the Jews as Divinely inspired works. Followers of Islam are known as Muslims (also: Moors, Turks, and Moslems) and, just as Jews and Christians, believe in only one God. Yet, over the centuries, Muslims have engaged in tremendous wars with Christians and Jews. It would seem that there is little hope for peace. However, Heaven's Peace Plan, involving Our Lady, is evidenced at Fatima, Portugal as well as other places around the world.
Fatima
The Moors once occupied Portugal. The village of Fatima was given the Islamic name of the well-loved Princess of the nearby Castle of Ourem. She died at an early age after marrying the Count of Ourem and converting to Catholicism. Baptized with the Christian name of Oureana, she was named at birth "Fatima," like many other Moslem girls, in honor of the daughter of Mohammed. Of his daughter, Fatima, the founder of Islam, Mohammed, said: "She has the highest place in heaven after the Virgin Mary."
It is a fact that Moslems from various nations, especially from the Middle East, make so many pilgrimages to Our Lady of Fatima's Shrine in Portugal that Portuguese officials have expressed concern. The combination of an Islamic name and Islamic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great attraction to Moslems. God is writing straight with crooked lines, as we will see. Fatima is a part of Heaven's Peace Plan. It is hope for the world.
The Koran
In the Koran, the holy name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is mentioned no less than thirty times. No other woman's name is even mentioned, not even that of Mohammed's daughter, Fatima. Among men, only Abraham, Moses, and Noah are mentioned more times than Our Lady. In the Koran, Our Blessed Mother is described as "Virgin, ever Virgin." The Islamic belief in the virginity of Mary puts to shame the heretical beliefs of those who call themselves Christian, while denying the perpetual virginity of Mary. Make no mistake about it, there is a very special relationship between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Moslems!
The Holy Land
The Holy Land has been a real battleground between the Islamic peoples and Christianity over the centuries. Evidence of this are the numerous churches and basilicas that have been built by the Church, destroyed by, the Moslems, rebuilt by Catholic Crusaders, leveled again by the followers of Islam, and so on over the course of history. However, there is one remarkable exception: the Basilica of Saint Anne in Jerusalem.
The Crusaders built this church and named it in honor of the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Crypt of St. Anne's Basilica, a statue of the Infant Mary is venerated on what is believed to be the exact spot where Our Lady was born. Their great reverence for Our Lady precluded the Moslems from destroying her birthplace. The foundation for Heaven's Peace Plan at Fatima, Portugal, can be found in the Land of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Spain
As the Moslems swept through Spain in the 8th century, a great religious treasure was buried for safe-keeping in the earth, high in the Estremadura Mountains. It was a much venerated statue of Our Lady holding the Divine Child Jesus that was a gift of Pope Gregory the Great to Bishop Leander of Seville. After the overthrow of Moorish occupation, the image was uncovered in the year 1326, subsequent to a vision of Our Lady to a humble shepherd by the name of Gil. Our Lady's very special statue was enshrined in a nearby Franciscan Monastery next to the "Wolf River."
The Moslems, during their Spanish occupation, had actually named the river. The Islamic term for Wolf River is "Guadalupe" (Guada = River; Lupe = Wolf). Hence, the famous Catholic image in Spain has been known, since the 14th century, by the Islamic name of "Our Lady of Guadalupe."
Mexico
In the fullness of time, we can be sure that Almighty God knew that the Islamic religion would pose a serious threat to Christianity. God also knew that the Spanish missionaries would face grave resistance in the "new world" from the mighty Aztec Indians. The Aztecs worshipped an evil stone "serpent god" that demanded human sacrifice. It was extremely difficult to win souls for Christ from these bloodthirsty savages. However, with God all things are possible. Our Lady appeared to a humble Aztec Indian convert by the name of Juan Diego in 1531. When asked her name by Juan Diego, at the request of the local bishop, Our Lady's response, in the Aztec language, included the words "te coatlaxopeuh" (pronounced: "te quatlasupe") and meant "one who crushes the head of the stone serpent."
To Juan Diego and his fellow Aztecs, this revelation had great meaning, coupled with the miraculous image of Our Lady standing on top of a "crescent," the symbol of this evil serpent god. A tidal wave of conversions to Catholicism ensued. However, Bishop Zumarraga, who was from Spain, made what was no doubt a "heavenly mistake" that one day may lead to the mass conversion of Moslems. To the Bishop's Spanish ears, Our Lady's Aztec name of "Te Quatlasupe" sounded just like the name of the revered Madonna from Spain with the Islamic name, "Guadalupe." Hence, the bishop named the Mexican Madonna "Our Lady of Guadalupe." It is interesting that the "crescent" is also the symbol for Islam and that America's Shrine to Our Lady has an Islamic name.
Battle of Lepanto
On October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Knowing that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory.
We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.
What you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico's Our Lady of Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In the Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord.
The Rosary
At Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: "The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was!
The Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as "Our Lady of Victory." Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed "Our Lady of the Rosary" and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).
And with that we are back to Fatima, Portugal where Our Lady, when asked her name, said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary." At Fatima, Our Lady taught us to pray the Rosary every day. Heaven presented its peace plan at Fatima and truly gave us hope for the world. Conversions were promised at Fatima: the conversion of sinners; the conversion of Russia; and what also appears to be the conversion of Islam. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Taken from:
Soul Magazine
© 2001 The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, U.S.A., Inc.
September - October 2001, page 6
For subscription information:
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, U.S.A., Inc.
PO Box 976
Washington, NJ 07882-0976
Website: http://www.bluearmy.com
E-mail: service@bluearmy.com
or Phone Toll Free: 866-513-1917
That is foolish meaningless doubletalk and ya know it..There is only one truth and His name is Jesus Christ..there is no truth outside of Him.I do deny all the truths of the others BECAUSE I do believe "The Truth"
I didnt know that was "offical Church doctrine "now.
It's not, as Ratzinger has recently pointed out. Be careful of "liberal" Catholics.
Where did he get that doctrinal statement from Robby? It was Aquinasfan that was talking about it the other day..That has to be out there floating around some where. Many years ago a Catholic Priest told me that Muslims could go to heaven,but I dismissed that as the rant of a "liberal"..it seems it is written and taught now
If this is not church doctrine, Please inform me when it changed. My original source is the latest "Catechism of the Catholic Church". AS it has been stated It's not, as Ratzinger has recently pointed out, I went to the Vaticans web site to check. You will find it at http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p123a9p3.htm#III. Scroll down until you come to 841.
Actually, they don't. The true OT saints understood and knew that the coming Messiah would be God in the flesh:
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.He said unto them, "How then doth David in the Spirit call Him `Lord,' saying, `The LORD said unto my Lord, "Sit Thou on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool"'? If David then call Him `Lord,' how is He his son?"For unto which of the angels said God at any time, "Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee"? [Psalm 2]
And again, "I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son"? [2 Samuel 7]
And again, when He bringeth in the First-Begotten into the world, He saith, "And let all the angels of God worship Him." [Deut. 32:43, Psalm 97]
And of the angels He saith, "Who maketh His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire." [Psalm 104]
But unto the Son He saith, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy Kingdom. [Psalm 45] Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows." [Isaiah 61]
And, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thine hands. [Psalm 102]
They shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment. [Isaiah 34] And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail."
But to which of the angels said He at any time, "Sit on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool"? [Psalm 110]
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation?
Furthermore, God is already at work in Genesis 3, preaching the coming of His salvation to the Church. The OT is one string of prophecies after another about the glorious Mighty Work of Redemption with which God will reclaim His own forever. A verse of my own meditation of the last few weeks:
Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD hath taken away thy judgments; He hath cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, "Fear thou not"; and to Zion, "Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."
Amazing to me
hahahahahaha! You Romans sure do read a lot into simple verses. Imagine all of Redemption on hold while God seeks a virgin....
When an article starts with a big lie, you know that what follows is a lie.
Islam is Arabic for submission or surrender, NOT "to make peace".
LOL
Do they really think God was "asking" her,anymore than He was "asking" Abraham to slay his son..
The Ram was in the bush because the answer was known,and the Birth of Christ to a virgin in Bethelem was already written.
Are you asking for or telling me that your parents prayed to effect, or cause your salvation?
When we pray to Mary, we are simply asking her to join her oice to ours and amplify it, as a child might ask his mother to intercede for him. Our "worship" for her is only the deference that one should give to holy persons.
Seems like I might just be able to find the prophecy in the OT:
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.Imagine the whole of Creation at the whim of a single woman; I tremble at the thought.
Now now Woody lets not sound sexist *grin*
I believe that Abraham and Mary are both models of submission,and the stories of their obedience are given to edify ,to teach and to encourage.They illustrate to us that obedience has a cost......But both pale with the perfect model of obedience and submission to the Father....Jesus Christ
Seems like much more to me:
Then said he unto me, "See that thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the sayings of this book. Worship God!"
Maybe you were not fortunate enough to have parents or others led you to Jesus. Let us not forget that a prayer is a petition to a higher authority.
Your bitterness towards your fellow Christians fill my heart with sorrow. What is the cause of your pain? Perhaps I can recommend a good therapist or just some old fashioned vigorous excercise to refresh the traditional optimism inherent in our common Christian values.
Well that, more or less, was the reported message of Mary at LaSalette, Lourdes, and Fatima. But one thing to bear in mind, osmething that we forget in talking about "Sweet Jesus," is that he is also our judge. The Marian apparitions reminds us that he is not happy with our showcomings and that we must repent and turn to him before it is too late.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.