{"id":49261,"date":"2023-06-24T16:39:20","date_gmt":"2023-06-24T20:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=49261"},"modified":"2025-01-14T19:45:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T00:45:29","slug":"making-a-straight-highway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/making-a-straight-highway\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a Straight Highway","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-49262\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Straight-Highway-BG.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Straight-Highway-BG.jpg 1342w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Straight-Highway-BG-300x291.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Straight-Highway-BG-1024x992.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Straight-Highway-BG-768x744.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>THESE\u00a0<\/b>are the days of preparing for the coming of Jesus, what St. Bernard referred to as a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-middle-coming\/\">middle coming<\/a>&#8221; of Christ between Bethlehem and the end of time. <!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Because this [middle] coming lies between the other two, it is like a road on which we travel from the first coming to the last. In the first, Christ was our redemption; in the last, He will appear as our life; in this middle coming, He is our <i>rest and consolation<\/i>.\u2026. In His first coming Our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming He comes in spirit and power; in the final coming He will be seen in glory and majesty\u2026<\/b>\u00a0\u2014St. Bernard,\u00a0<i>Liturgy of the Hours<\/i>, Vol I, p. 169<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Benedict XVI did not pass this teaching off with an individualistic interpretation \u2014 such as being fulfilled merely in a &#8220;personal relationship&#8221; with Christ. Rather, drawing upon the Scriptures and Tradition itself, Benedict sees this as a true intervention of the Lord:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Whereas people had previously spoken only of a twofold coming of Christ \u2014 once in Bethlehem and again at the end of time \u2014 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux spoke of an <em>adventus medius<\/em>, an intermediate coming, thanks to which He periodically renews His intervention in history. I believe that Bernard\u2019s distinction <em>strikes just the right note\u2026<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014POPE BENEDICT XVI, <em>Light of the World &#8211; A Conversation With Peter Seewald,<\/em> p.182-183,\u00a0<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As I have noted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/dear-holy-father-he-is-coming\/\">countless times <\/a>beneath the lamplight of the Early Church Fathers,<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/how-the-era-was-lost\/\">How the Era was Lost<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> they indeed expected Jesus to come and establish what Tertullian called &#8220;the times of the Kingdom&#8221; or what Augustine referred to as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-sabbath-rest\/\">sabbath rest\u201d<\/a>: <em>&#8216;in this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-middle-coming\/\">middle coming<\/a>, He is our rest and consolation,&#8217;<\/em> said Bernard. Nineteenth-century eschatologist, Fr. Charles Arminjon (1824-1885), summarized:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>\u00a0The most\u00a0<em>authoritative<\/em>\u00a0view, and the one that appears to be most in harmony with Holy Scripture, is that, after the fall of the Antichrist, the Catholic Church will once again enter upon a period of prosperity and triumph.\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014<em>The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life<\/em>, p. 56-57; Sophia Institute Press<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This &#8220;triumph&#8221; is spoken of at length by Jesus himself in the profound <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/on-luisa-and-her-writings\/\">approved<\/a> revelations to Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. This &#8216;middle coming&#8217; is what Jesus calls the &#8220;third Fiat&#8221;, which follows the first two Fiats of Creation and Redemption. This last &#8220;Fiat of Sanctification&#8221; is essentially the fulfillment of the &#8216;Our Father&#8217; and the coming of the Kingdom of the Divine Will to &#8220;reign on earth as it is in Heaven.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><em><strong>The Third Fiat will give such grace to the creature as to make her return almost to the state of origin; and then, once I have seen man just as he came out of Me, My work will be complete, and I will take My perpetual rest in the last Fiat&#8230; And just as the second Fiat called Me upon earth to live among men, so will the third Fiat call my Will into souls, and in them It will reign &#8216;on earth as it is in Heaven&#8217;&#8230; Therefore, in the &#8216;Our Father&#8217;, in the words &#8216;your Will be Done&#8217; is the prayer that all may do the Supreme Will, and in &#8216;on earth as It is in Heaven&#8217;, that man may return into that Will from which he came, in order to reacquire his happiness, the lost goods, and the possession of his Divine Kingdom.<\/strong><\/em> \u2014February 22, March 2, 1921, Vol. 12; October 15, 1926, Vol. 20<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>St. Bernard speaks of this &#8220;road on which we travel from the first coming to the last.&#8221; It is a road that we must hasten to make &#8220;straight&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>\n<h5>\u00a0<\/h5>\n<h5>Preparing the Way<\/h5>\n<p>Today, on this Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist, I am pondering my own mission and calling. Several years ago, I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament in my spiritual director\u2019s private chapel when words, seemingly outside of myself, rose up in my heart:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>I am giving you the ministry of John the Baptist.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As I pondered what this meant, I thought of the words of the Baptist himself:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, \u2018Make straight the way of the Lord\u2019\u2026 <\/em><span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[2]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">John 1:23<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32581 alignleft\" style=\"margin: 2px 5px 2px 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/baptisterelice.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/baptisterelice.jpg 843w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/baptisterelice-282x300.jpg 282w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/baptisterelice-768x818.jpg 768w\" width=\"260\" height=\"277\" \/>The next morning, there was a knock at the rectory door and then the secretary called for me. An elderly man stood there, his hand extended after our greeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is for you,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a first-class relic of <em>John the Baptist<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I note this again, as I did in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-relics-and-the-message\/\">The Relics and the Message<\/a>,<\/em> not to exalt myself or my ministry (for I, too, am not worthy to untie Christ&#8217;s sandals) but to <em>place the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/category\/healing-retreat\/\">healing retreat<\/a> in the greater context<\/em>. To &#8220;make straight the way of the Lord&#8221; is to not only repent but to remove those obstacles \u2014 wounds, habits, worldly patterns of thinking, etc. \u2014 that close us off to the action of the Holy Spirit and limit our effectiveness and witness of the Kingdom of God. It is to prepare the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit, as in a &#8220;new Pentecost&#8221;, as St. John Paul II prophesied; it is to prepare for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-descent-of-the-divine-will\/\">The Coming Descent of the Divine Will<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>which will produce a &#8220;new and divine holiness&#8221;, he said.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[3]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-new-and-divine-holiness\/\">The Coming New and Divine Holiness<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I believe this new Pentecost will begin in large part for the Church through the coming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-great-day-of-light\/\">Illumination of Conscience<\/a>.<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_4');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_4');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_4\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[4]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_4\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/pentecost-and-the-illumination\/\"><em>Pentecost and the Illumination of Conscience<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> This is why Our Lady has been appearing all over the world: to gather her children into the Upper Room of her Immaculate Heart and prepare them for the\u00a0<em>pneumatic <\/em>coming of her Son, through the Holy Spirit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is why I believe it is no coincidence that new healing movements such as <a href=\"https:\/\/encounterministries.us\/\">Encounter Ministries<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.triumphretreat.com\/\">Triumph<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/category\/healing-retreat\/\">Now Word Healing Retreat<\/a> are being called forth at this hour. As St. John XXIII stated at the onset of Vatican II, the Council essentially&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>\u2026<em>prepares<\/em>, as it were, and consolidates the path toward that unity of mankind,\u00a0<em>which<\/em><em>\u00a0is required as a necessary foundation<\/em>, in order that the earthly city may be brought to the resemblance of that heavenly city where truth reigns, charity is the law, and whose extent is eternity<\/strong>. \u2014POPE ST. JOHN XXIII, Address at the Opening of the Second Vatican Council, October 11th, 1962;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.papalencyclicals.net\/vatican2.htm\">www.papalencyclicals.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Thus, he said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>The task of humble Pope John is to \u201cprepare for the Lord a perfect people,\u201d which is exactly like the task of the Baptist, who is his patron and from whom he takes his name. And it is not possible to imagine a higher and more precious perfection than that of the triumph of Christian peace, which is peace at heart, peace in the social order, in life, in wellbeing, in mutual respect, and in the brotherhood of nations.<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014POPE ST. JOHN XXIII,\u00a0<em>True Christian Peace,\u00a0<\/em>December 23rd, 1959;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicculture.org\/culture\/library\/view.cfm?recnum=3231\">www.catholicculture.org<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Without wading into the fierce debates over the Second Vatican Council, can we not say that even the liberalism and apostasy that have followed in its wake are sifting and preparing a remnant Bride for Christ? Of course! Absolutely <em>nothing<\/em> is happening at this hour that Jesus isn&#8217;t permitting and using to test, refine, and purify you and me for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/entering-the-prodigal-hour\/\">Great Hour of Mercy<\/a> that will call the prodigals of this generation home before the definitive &#8220;final confrontation&#8221; of this era ushers in that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-sabbath-rest\/\">Sabbath Rest<\/a> or &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-day-of-the-lord\/\">day of the Lord<\/a>.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<h5 align=\"LEFT\">The Great Turning<\/h5>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">Hence, there is another prophetic aspect to this hour of healing that is extremely relevant:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">Now I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, before the day of the LORD comes, the great and terrible day; He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction. (Malachi 3:23-24)<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">The Gospel of Luke attributes the fulfillment of this Scripture, in part, to St. John the Baptist:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">&#8230;he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord. (Luke 1:16-17)<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">God not only wants to heal us but to heal our <em>relationships. <\/em>Yes, the healing God is doing in my own life right now has very much to do with mending the wounds in my family, particularly between my children and their father.<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">It is also noteworthy that the apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_5');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_5');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_5\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[5]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_5\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. The Ruini Commission ruled that the first seven apparitions were &#8220;supernatural&#8221; in origin. Read <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-truth-of-medjugorje-you-may-not-know\/\">Medjugorje&#8230; What You May Not Know<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> began on <em>this<\/em> day, June 24th, in 1981 on this feast of the Baptist. The message<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_6');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_6');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_6\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[6]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_6\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">cf. The <a href=\"https:\/\/medjugorjeca.org\/5-stones\/\">&#8220;5 Stones&#8221;<\/a> of Medjugorje<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> is simple, one that if lived, will prepare the heart for a new Pentecost:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" align=\"LEFT\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">Daily Prayer<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">Fasting<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">The Eucharist<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">Reading the Bible<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">Confession<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">All this is to say that we are living in extraordinary and privileged times. Our Lady repeatedly tells us that we need to pay attention and that\u00a0<em>now<\/em> <em>&#8220;is the opportune time for your return to the Lord.&#8221;<\/em> <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_7');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_49261_1('footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_7');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_7\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[7]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_7\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countdowntothekingdom.com\/pedro-turn-around\/\">May 6, 2023<\/a><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_49261_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong><em>Humanity is living far from God, and the time has come for the Great Return. Be obedient. God is making haste: do not put off what you have to do until tomorrow. I ask you to keep the flame of your faith alight. \u2014<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countdowntothekingdom.com\/pedro-time-of-the-great-return\/\">Our Lady to Pedro Regis<\/a>, May 16, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Now is the time to prepare the way of the Lord, to &#8220;make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!&#8221; (Is 40:3).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>Related Reading<\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-middle-coming\/\"><em>The Middle Coming<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-truth-of-medjugorje-you-may-not-know\/\">Medjugorje&#8230; What You May Not Know<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Support Mark&#8217;s full-time ministry:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/donations\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Donateovalbtnonbeige.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"48\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-final-confrontation-the-book\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-12567\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/TheFinalConfrontationBook-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"244\u201d height=\u201c324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/TheFinalConfrontationBook-1.png 400w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/TheFinalConfrontationBook-1-226x300.png 226w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">with <em>Nihil Obstat<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">To journey with Mark in\u00a0<strong><em>The <\/em><\/strong><em><strong>Now Word<\/strong><\/em>,<em><br \/>\n<\/em>click on the banner below to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\">subscribe<\/a>. <br \/>\nYour email will not be shared with anyone.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-25916\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"469\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner.jpeg 850w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner-300x98.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner-768x250.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Now on Telegram. 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helvetica, sans-serif;\">Listen on the following:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thenoword.buzzsprout.com\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/thenoword.buzzsprout.com\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/buzzsprout3-cutout.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"165\" height=\"43\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-now-word\/id1519573192?uo=4\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/apple-podcasts2-cutout.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"162\" height=\"42\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6sXnpNwaMtd5ja4MyA1YgX\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-43899\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/spotifyPodcasts.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"164\" height=\"42\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/spotifyPodcasts.png 740w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/spotifyPodcasts-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/spotifyPodcasts-640x163.png 640w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/spotifyPodcasts-720x189.png 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 164px) 100vw, 164px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"f6hij\" data-offset-key=\"7ormq-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"7ormq-0-0\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"highlighter--hover-tools\" style=\"display: none;\">\n<div id=\"highlighter--hover-tools--container\">\n<div class=\"highlighter--icon highlighter--icon-copy\" title=\"Copy\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"highlighter--icon highlighter--icon-change-color\" title=\"Change Color\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"highlighter--icon highlighter--icon-delete\" title=\"Delete\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_49261_1();\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_49261_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_49261_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_49261_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_49261_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_1');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/how-the-era-was-lost\/\">How the Era was Lost<\/a><\/em><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_49261_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_2');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">John 1:23<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_49261_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_3');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>3<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-coming-new-and-divine-holiness\/\">The Coming New and Divine Holiness<\/a><\/em><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_4\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_49261_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_4');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>4<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/pentecost-and-the-illumination\/\"><em>Pentecost and the Illumination of Conscience<\/em><\/a><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_5\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_49261_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_5');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>5<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. The Ruini Commission ruled that the first seven apparitions were &#8220;supernatural&#8221; in origin. Read <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-truth-of-medjugorje-you-may-not-know\/\">Medjugorje&#8230; What You May Not Know<\/a><\/em><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_6\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_49261_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_6');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>6<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">cf. The <a href=\"https:\/\/medjugorjeca.org\/5-stones\/\">&#8220;5 Stones&#8221;<\/a> of Medjugorje<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_49261_1_7\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_49261_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_49261_1_7');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>7<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countdowntothekingdom.com\/pedro-turn-around\/\">May 6, 2023<\/a><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_49261_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_49261_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_49261_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_49261_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_49261_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_49261_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_49261_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_49261_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_49261_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_49261_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_49261_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_49261_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - 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