Something in the Garabandal apparitions in the early 1960’s fits into the terrifying conditional prophecy later given in Akita, Japan in 1972.
In Akita, the Blessed Mother warned that unless sinful mankind change ways, the Father would send a terrible punishment, that “fire will fall from the sky” and the living will “envy the dead.” The Akita apparitions were approved by the local ordinary and the Vatican as worthy of belief.
Garabandal so far still awaits the Vatican’s verdict, but its credibility is boosted not only by events and people closely related to the apparitions, but also by the fact that Blessed Padre Pio, in his lifetime, confirmed the supernatural nature of the Garabandal apparitions.
Joey Lomangino, 83, was the one to whom the mystic gave the confi rmation, and he is still alive to give testimony not only to this, but also to the Blessed Mother’s apparitions and messages in Garabandal.
And then there was also Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now beatified, who affirmed the authenticity of Garabandal, to the point that she even became a good friend of visionary Conchita. Consider also that then Pope Paul VI had warmly welcomed Conchita in the Vatican.
What was said in Akita was also revealed even earlier with more details in Garabandal, and this visionary Mari Loli Mazon shared with us in an interview before she passed on in 2009. The following was her description of the chastisement, in her own words:
“Although we continued to see the Blessed Virgin we saw a great multitude of people who suffered greatly and screamed in anguish. The Virgin explained to us how this GREAT PUNISHMENT would come, because there would come a moment a time in which the Church would seem to perish, as if it were finished or disappearing.
The Church would suffer a great trial! We asked the Virgin how this GREAT PUNISHMENT would be called and she said it was called COMMUNISM. “Also, she made us see how the great chastisement for all humanity would come and how it comes directly from God.
In a certain moment not a single motor or machine will function. A terrible heat wave will come, and men will suffer a burning thirst. Desperately they will look for water but with the intense heat it will evaporate. With this there will enter into the people a desperation and they will attempt to kill each other, but in those moments their strength will fail and they will fall to the ground.
God then will make them see that IT IS HE who directly has permitted all this. Finally we saw a multitude of people
enveloped in flames – desperately they threw themselves into the seas and lakes but upon entering the water far from putting out the flames the water was boiling and seemed to help the flames burn more.
“I asked the Blessed Virgin to take all our children with her. But she said that when this happens they will all be adults.” To refresh ourselves with how this conditional prophecy fi ts into Akita, here is what the Blessed Mother relayed to Sister Sasagawa on Oct. 13, 1973:
“As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful.
The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests.
“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests); churches and altars will be sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.
“The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them.”
