July 16, 2023

I shall know how to protect all those who are mine ...
have placed a stairway from the earth to my Heart,
a path which has been prepared for the difficult times to come!”

- Jesus Christ to Marie-Julie Jahenny

 

DEAR ST. MARTIN OF TOURS FAMILY & FRIENDS,

Before I go on my way to my next assignment I decided as one of my last acts as your pastor to give to each and every one of you an opportunity to receive what, in my personal estimation, is an extremely important sacramental (a thing blessed by the Church to provide a spiritual good) for the times which, whether six months or in 600 years from now, are most certain to come to pass.

The Servant of God Marie-Julie Jahenny (February 12, 1850 – March 4, 1941) was a Catholic mystic who lived in the poor town of La Fraudais in Brittany, France. Most of her long life was marked by supernatural events and phenomena too numerous to recount here. From the age of twenty-three until her death, she received the stigmata of Jesus on her hands, feet, and side. Soon thereafter she received the stigmata of the Crown of Thorns, the Shoulder wound of Christ, and many other wounds which would bleed profusely every Friday from noon to 3 p.m. Of all stigmatic mystics throughout the Church’s history, she is the only person known to have received all of the stigmata of Christ. She experienced extraordinary periods of fasting, and had the gift of miracles and prophecy.

In the same way that Our Lord told the German stigmatic seer Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (September 8, 1774 – 9 February 9, 1824) that more visions of the history of the world and of Our Lord’s Passion would be revealed to her than anyone who had ever lived, so, too Our Lord revealed to Marie-Julie Jahenny that she would receive more prophecies concerning future events and the “Times of the End” as described in the Book of Revelation than any other seer in the history of the world.

Why would the Lord reveal such prophetic messages, so many of them unsettling, if we are to walk in faith and trust? Marie was asked this many times and her answer was always the same, one the Lord Himself gave her: “I wanted to warn my people so that they wouldn’t be caught by surprise.” Our Lord wants us to be like the five wise virgins who were prepared for their Master’s coming (Matthew 25:1-13).

Because of the dire nature of the revelations from Our Lord which Marie-Julie Jahenny began to receive in 1873, she remained in a state of continual prayer and penance for the salvation of souls and for the protection of humanity. During an unusually profound ecstasy on 23th August 1878 Marie saw The Blessed Virgin Mary with the Lord Jesus beside Her. In Her hand was a large scapular, colored crimson, violet, red and gold.

If you don’t know what a scapular is, it is a sacramental of the Church that has been around for almost a thousand years. Its form is a religious habit in miniature: two small squares or rectangles of material connected by two strings which are placed over the head and shoulders and worn under the clothing. The most well-known of these is the Brown Scapular of Mt. Carmel which I and many of you already wear. If worn with devotion – meaning that one is doing one’s best to live a life avoiding mortal sin, going to the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist regularly, and praying the Rosary daily – the promises of the Brown Scapular is two-fold: First, if you die wearing it, you will not go to Hell, which is extremely important of course! Second, if you die and go to Purgatory, you are promised to become purified and released on the upcoming Saturday, which again is also important.

 

THE SCAPULAR OF BLESSING AND PROTECTION – THE DEVOTION

This new scapular which was revealed to Marie also has its associated devotion and promises. More on that in a moment. When asked to describe this new scapular after her vision, Marie related all its particular details. “It is a large scapular,” Marie said, “larger than ordinary scapulars, a bit larger than the palm of a hand. It's a beautiful purple, almost the color of violet.” On the front piece of cloth is an image of the 13th station of the Cross, the “Pieta.” Jesus is taken down from the Cross with the assistance of a ladder. Mary holds the body of Her dead Son. The hyssop branch appears on the left but there is no sponge on it. An angel gathers the Precious Blood of Our Lord’s wounds and worships the Blood spilled upon the ground.

The string connecting the two pieces of cloth are knotted slightly differently, one with two knots to represent the two natures in Christ, the other to represent the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity.

The Blessed Virgin Mary presented the scapular to Our Lord who said, “I want to reveal to you an idea, a profound thought. I wish to speak to you of the time when I was taken off the Cross and entrusted to My Mother. This descent, this matter for reflection, is a devotion, which is little known. By producing this scapular, I would like that these moments penetrate into the hearts of the children of the Cross … My children, very few souls think of wiping the adorable Wounds of My Feet when the blood flows. I would like this to be made known. Similarly, there are few who think of the tears shed by my Mother during My Passion.”

On the back piece of cloth is the sponge filled with sour wine which was attached to the hyssop branch. It represents the sins which the Savior was forced to drink as He hung on the Cross. Drops of the Precious Blood drip from the three spikes used to affix Jesus’ hands and feet to the Cross. A Chalice surrounded by the Crown of Thorns collects the Blood.

The devotion attached to this Scapular is simple:

First: Be certain to be living a Catholic life, avoiding mortal sin, going to Confession regularly, receiving Holy Communion worthily, and attending Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation – ideally doing these things not out of a servile fear, but out of love and gratitude to God.

Second: Spend a few minutes daily meditating on the 13th station, when Our Lord was taken from the Cross and placed in the lap and arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Third: Recite these three prayers:

I salute You, crucified Jesus, for keeping me alive!

I salute You, with all the joy of the angels and saints during your descent from the Cross!

I salute You, with the sadness of your Mother when You were laying on Her Heart and on Her Immaculate knees.

End with this prayer 7 times: “Hail to the Cross, our only hope!”

 

THE SCAPULAR OF BLESSING AND PROTECTION – THE PROMISES

Jesus continued: “This scapular, which is being presented for the first time, will accord a new protection for the time of chastisements, calamities, and famine. All those who wear it, will be able to be out in times of tempests, storms, and darkness - they will have light as in full day. This is the power of this unknown scapular! My children, each soul, each person who possesses this scapular will see his family protected, his home will also be protected…. During the chastisements they will be protected. Whoever will place it in the Holy Temple [i.e. in any church, but also in any home, since the home is meant to be a “domestic church”], will ward off from there all the impious and any profanations.” In other words, the church or home will become a haven of peace and blessing even amid the worst of worldly and evil afflictions.

It may seem hard too believe for some. Indeed, no Catholic is obliged to believe in these revelations, though it is also of note that of all private revelations not yet approved by the Catholic Church, hers have been the only prophecies which have proved themselves accurate (e.g. her prophesies of the First and Second World Wars and of many of the changes in the Church have come true) with an astounding precision.

 

A GIFT TO EACH OF YOU!

Because I love each and every one of you, and because I care so deeply about the spiritual and temporal welfare of each of you, I decided to purchase (using funds set aside for this purpose) enough of these scapulars for each of you to take with you. I was able to purchase 400 of them. If you prayerfully decide that you would like one, please take one. Every scapular is already blessed. If you want to purchase this scapular for family or friends, you can find all sorts of places to purchase them, such as Etsy, Amazon, and there are many other sites as well. They are, however, a bit pricey as you will discover. But I consider this some of the most important “fire insurance” one could possibly have.

If you do purchase these scapulars from somewhere else, be certain to have a priest bless them. If they are not blessed, then they cannot have the status of “sacramental” which is a necessary condition for them to be efficacious. Any priest can bless these scapulars.

May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, keep you; May He protect you, and grant you salvation.

Your Pastor,