WHY THE MARIAN SIGNS?
Some basic questions

Statue of Our Lady with the Baby Jesus
— St. Francis Church in Kowloon, Hong Kong

1. WHY DOES GOD SEND US SUPERNATURAL SIGNS? God conferred on humans the supernatural destiny of participating in His Eternal Life and Happiness. To that end, we are to seek, know, love and serve God, Who alone is the absolute Truth and infinite Goodness. As His children, we are also to love and help one another, forming God’s family. Humans have failed, however, by seeking their own will and disobeying God’s Commandment. To deliver us from eternal perdition, God sent His Only Son as our Savior. Christ redeemed us by His Death on the Cross and established His Church to make salvation available to all.

Despite all that, humans have continued wandering away from God’s Teaching and Commandment. This is why God is sending us more messages and signs, warning us about the consequences of unrepented sins and urging us to return to Him and to His Teaching and Sacraments in the Church.

2. HOW CAN WE TELL TRUE SIGNS FROM HEAVEN FROM FALSE ONES? Christ Himself warned us about false prophets. The devil was a great angel before his fall and still is capable of false messages and apparitions and is anxious to lead more people to hell. This is why we must not blindly accept the reported supernatural phenomena but discern them carefully. The following criteria may be helpful:

a. Do the reported messages, apparitions, and miracles conform to the authentic teachings of the Church? For example, if they deny or equivocate Christ’s true divinity or his true humanity, they cannot be from God. True messages and signs cannot alter or improve the truth already revealed by God. Instead, they draw us powerfully to God’s teachings and Sacraments in the Church. For correct discernment, we need to be firmly grounded in the Church teachings.

b. In addition to being in conformity with the Church teachings, are the messages and the people who are directly involved respectful of and obedient to the proper authority in the Church? If not, they cannot be from God.

c. Are there physical supernatural signs? The absence of physical signs does not necessarily mean that the messages are false. The presence of genuine miracles, however, can be strong marks of true revelations from God. Our Lord Himself performed many miracles to confirm His teachings. The physical signs also need to be discerned.

d. Are the fruits good? Are the messages and miracles leading people to a stronger faith in God and His teachings and to a more faithful adherence to the authentic devotions in the Church? If they lead people to pride, materialism, pursuit of fame, deviation from the teachings and devotions of the Church, and defiance against the proper authority in the Church, they cannot be from God.

Thus, true messages and signs from God are always focused on God’s Incarnation and Redemptive Work, which is a reality continuing through the Church until the end of the world.

3. WHY IS GOD SENDING MARY TO US? God the Son took human flesh through the Virgin Mary. When Mary said "Fiat" to the Annunciation by St. Gabriel the Archangel, the Savior was conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the beginning of God’s Incarnation among us and of His Redemptive Work for us. Thus, Mary became the Mother of the God Incarnate.

Mary’s participation in Christ’s Redemptive Work continued throughout His life on earth, culminating at the time of His Crucifixion. Together with St. John and several holy women, the Mother of the Savior was standing at the foot of the Cross, offering up her sufferings to God the Father in union with her Divine Son. Her essential role as the Helper to the Savior is continuing even after her Assumption into Heaven. Because Mary is the Mother of Christ, she is also the Mother of the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, and of everyone who belongs to the Church. She is eternally and truly our Mother, who loves and cares about us. God, Who willed that Mary be the Mother of His Son, also assigned to her the role of a mother for all of us. That is why He is sending her to us so that she may help us repent our sins and return to Him and His Church as His children.

a. Being self-centered and human-centered instead of God-centered. Perceiving and living our life on earth outside the context of our eternal destiny. If we devote our lives to pursuing worldly goals instead of seeking God and doing His Will, we are going to perish eventually, because we are not the source of the truth, power, goodness, or life. We really cannot overcome the burden of our sins or the limits of the physical world by ourselves regardless of any temporary successes on earth. Life is vain without God, because He alone is the true origin of everything that is good.

b. Ignoring the reality of God’s Incarnation in our world. Thus, denying the existence of (1) the absolute and full truth for our salvation, (2) the objective moral laws, and (3) the adequate means of salvation available through the Church.

c. Refusing to accept that the Catholic Church was established by Christ and is being sustained by the Holy Spirit to continue the reality of Christ’s Real Presence and Redemptive Work. We often look at only the human aspects of the Church members and fail to recognize the supernatural reality in the Church that flows from the infinite merits of Christ’s suffering on the Cross.

d. Having forgotten the value of sacrifices. We often ignore the fact that self-denial and sacrifices are the only true signs of love. Because of this, we may fail to appreciate the meaning of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross and the continuing reality of His Sacrifice through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We may also fail to understand the Blessed Mother’s suffering and weeping. We may fail to respond to Our Lord’s call to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him, which is the essence of the Christian life.

OUR LADY’S MESSAGES IN NAJU

Courageously and adhering to the Heritage of the Faith that has been entrusted to you, unite with the Pope more humbly, following the messages of my burning love. (January 18, 1997)

Do not refuse the cross that has been given to you or complain about it. If you do not squander the small and large pains but offer them up gracefully and follow me, you will receive a royal crown in the next world because of the sufferings in this world. (January 23, 1997)

My beloved children! As I have been chosen to be the Lord’s Helper, you have been chosen to be my helpers. Therefore, Heaven is truly yours. (April 1, 1997)

The cup of God’s wrath is overflowing, because the world has reached a saturation point with sins and great degradation. Increase your efforts, remembering that the time of judgment is being delayed because of the little souls despite their small number. When the number of the little souls increases, God’s voice of wrath and breath of anger will turn into blessing and this world will become the Kingdom of the Lord. (June 12, 1997)

Consecrate your souls to the cause that is precious to me and become dissolved in the divine virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. As I will always be with you who are following me, do not have fear of anything but spread my messages. (June 12, 1997)

In this dangerous, extremely dangerous age, you will surely see new buds sprouting even on the burnt ground, when you realize that this Mother is needed for all of you and follow me. (June 30, 1997)

The crisis manifests itself in the Church as a deepening division and apostasy, which is found even among priests. Numerous clergy and children are not only refusing to accept my invitation but are displaying an outright defiance to it, cruelly nailing my Son Jesus to the Cross again. (June 30, 1997)

The signs that I am giving you in this small country, Korea, are for the Church in the whole world. (July 13, 1997)

Ah! I am sad. The number of the children who understand the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, truly accept it, and make the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist known is extremely small. (August 27, 1997)

If you do not pass on to others what you have received, you will be responsible, too. (February 2, 1998)