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Feast of O.L of La Salette - Melanie on Chastisements

"The world is immersed in evil ... a human hand is powerless to save it, the hand of God must manifest itself visibly, and, I tell you, we shall see this divine hand with our bodily eyes." -Pius IX

"Wicked men are devoured by a thirst for exercising their cruelty; but when they shall have reached the uttermost point of their barbarity, God himself shall extend his hand to stop them, and very soon after, a complete change shall be effected in all surviving persons." -Sr. Mary of the Cross (Melanie Calvat), 1872

Today (Sept 19th) is the Feast Day of Our Lady of La Salette.

TCW is posting some important letters from Melanie Calvat - the principle seer at the *apparition of the Most Blessed Virgin,

on the mountain of La Sallete, France on Sept 19th, 1846.

(Note: The following was published in 1874):

Words of Melanie, and Portion of Some of her Letters.

Since her vision on the mountain of La Salette, Melanie has often been heard saying: "The great chastisements will come, because men will not be converted; yet it is only their conversion that can hinder these scourges. God will begin to strike men by inflicting lighter punishments in order to open their eyes; then he will stop, or may repeat his former warnings to give place for repentance. But sinners will not avail themselves of these opportunities; he will, in consequence, send more severe castigations, anxious to move sinners to penance, but all in vain. Finally, the obduracy of sinners shall draw upon their heads the greatest and most terrible calamities."

From a letter written by Sister Mary of the Cross (Melanie), dated June 16, 1872, we extract the following considerable portion:

"We are all guilty! Penance is not done, and sin increases daily. Those who should come forward to do good are retained by fear. Evil is great. A moderate punishment serves only to irritate the spirits, because they view all things with human eyes. God could work a miracle to convert and change the aspect of the earth without chastisement. God will work a miracle; it will be a stroke of his mercy; but after the wicked shall have inebriated themselves with blood, the scourge shall arrive.

"What countries shall be preserved from such calamities? Where shall we go for refuge? I, in my turn, shall ask, What is the country that observes the commandments of God? What country is not influenced by human fear where the interest of the Church and the glory of God are at stake? (Ah, indeed! what country, what nation upon earth?) In behalf of my Superior and myself, I have often asked myself where could we go for refuge, had we the means for the journey and for our subsistence, on condition that no person were to know it? But I renounce these useless thoughts. We are very guilty! In consequence of this, it is necessary that a very great and terrible scourge should come to revive our faith, and to restore to us our very reason, which we have almost entirely lost. Wicked men are devoured by a thirst for exercising their cruelty; but when they shall have reached the uttermost point of their barbarity, God himself shall extend his hand to stop them, and very soon after, a complete change shall be effected in all surviving persons. Then they will sing the Te Deum Laudamus with the most lively gratitude and love. The Virgin Mary, our mother, shall be our liberatrix. Peace shall reign, and the charity of Jesus Christ shall unite all hearts Alsace shall return to France.

Let us pray; let us pray. God does not wish to chastise us severely. He speaks to us in so many, so many ways to make us return to him. How long shall we remain stubborn? Let us pray, let us pray; let us never cease praying and doing penance. Let us pray for our Holy Father the Pope, the only light for the faithful in these times of darkness. O yes, let us by all means pray much. Let us pray to the good, sweet, merciful Virgin Mary; for we stand in great need of her powerful hands over our heads."

Lastly, Melanie has written to her brother, who lived in Paris, and to her married sister in Marseilles, to go away immediately from these two large and populous cities, because the catastrophe is imminent.

Present Mode of Life of Melanie.

Melanie wears the religious habit, so does likewise her faithful companion. She teaches five or six girls. She is under the immediate obedience of the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Castellamare di Stabia, a city about eighteen miles distant from Naples. She has very frequent visions, and often she is in spiritual intercourse with *Palma Maria d Oria (whom she has never seen in an ordinary way). Through bilocation or other supernatural way, they speak together almost every day, though living at a great distance one from the other. Palma Maria has been, during many years, confined to her poor room by extraordinary sufferings. This holy woman spoke, last year, a great deal about Melanie to a French priest, the Abbe Brandt, and Melanie did the same to him about Palma Maria, of Oria. These are, indeed, marks of holiness.

*Palma Maria's predictions are, with great exactitude, forwarded to the Holy Father (Pius IX) in Rome; the following portions have been divulged: (Note: A list of 10 chronological prophecies of Palma Maria d Oria follows - here is #6. -TCW):

6. Three days darkness, during which the atmosphere will be infected by innumerable devils, who shall cause the death of large multitudes of incredulous and wicked men. For this awful occasion, which, sooner or later, will certainly arrive, Palma Maria recommends the use of blessed candles, which alone shall be able to give light and preserve the faithful Catholics from this impending dreadful scourge. (The same has been announced by Anna Maria Taigi. See page 90.)

(Source: *"The Christian Trumpet: or, Previsions and Predictions about Impending General Calamities, the Universal Triumph of the Church, the Coming of the Anti-Christ, the Last Judgment, and the End of the World; Divided into Three Parts", by Pellegrino, pp. 83-84, 110, Boston, 1874)

*NOTE: this was cited for research purposes and is not an endorsement for the text in whole. -TCW

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*"Before all that arrives, great disorders will arrive, in the Church, and everywhere.

Then, after [that], our Holy Father the Pope (Gregory XVII) will be persecuted. His

successor will be a pontiff that nobody expects (Gregory XVIII)." -Maximin

*Part of the secret given by Our Lady of La Salette to Maximin Giraud, which was then (later) recorded by Maximin in his own handwriting in the presence of his bishop - officially sealed - and sent to Pope Pius IX, on July 3, 1851. (Click here to see the original copy of the secret and here for the envelope which held it.)