Katya Rivas: The Great Crusade of Love - Preface

Monday, 28 April 2003, 10:01 am
Column: Katya Rivas

For the remainder of 2003 through till Lent 2004 Scoop will be publishing a serialisation of Katya Rivas’s " The Great Crusade of Love ". Readers can sign up to receive the serial by email at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dailykatya/. To order a video about Katya's work see… http://www.apleatohumanity.com/

The Medallion of the Apostolate of the New Evangelization

The Great Crusade of Love

A school for teaching on the relationship of Jesus with Man.

Cochabamba — Bolivia
Cochabamba — Bolivia
Spanish Editions: 1996 and 1998
English 1st Edition - November 1999

Preface

On September 19, 1846, the world was moved by the Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in La Salette to two children: Mélanie Calvat and Maximino Giraud. The Vatican authorities recognized these apparitions as authentic in 1851. Few people have gone deeply into the content of the messages received at that time. Those who are interested in studying these sources will find extremely interesting topics that help us to comprehend the ups and downs of this century that is drawing to an end.

But La Salette is neither the first nor the last. Latin America knows about the important apparitions of Guadalupe in 1531 and one hundred years later in Coromoto (Venezuela), both approved by the Catholic Church. The year 1830 witnessed another similar miracle in France, where the Blessed Virgin Mary asked Catherine Labouré to make a medal, which because of its miraculous effects will be known as "The Miraculous Medal". The apparitions of Lourdes in 1858 and of Fatima in 1917 eloquently confirm the extraordinary presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary in human chronology. She is the Mother of all men and lives close to them.

The world has confronted these phenomena in such a lukewarm way that Catholics have not been enriched by the contributions of these transcendental experiences. Many Catholics are unaware of the apparitions in Belgium in 1932-33; in "Tre Fontane" in Rome in 1946 to Bruno Conacchila; those of Jesus to Teresa Musco until 1976, and in whose home, close to Naples, 24 images bled; those of Padre Pío de Pietrelcina until 1968. Few have been enriched by the story of Luisa Piccarreta, the "Daughter of the Divine Will" whose only food was the Sacred Host received during Communion. Although she did not get out of bed for 64 years, she did not suffer from skin, joint and circulation trouble. She wrote 36 books on the "Divine Will", marvelous texts of love. We must not forget the marvelous story of Faustina Kowalska, beatified by His Holiness Pope John Paul II a little more than two years ago and to whom all the devotion of the "Christ of Mercy" is owed. She relates the spiritual retreats she made with Jesus, His daily visits, and the importance of prayer. Where has the modern Catholic placed these experiences, and how have they helped him bring his life of faith up-to-date?

There are so many opportunities to recognize the "Good News" in the world, that we should all be individuals with noble and loving minds because all those messages are poems of love, songs of unity and ecumenism. But man would rather move in the world of conflict, clinging to difficulties in the midst of darkness that suffocates him, anguished by his finances, injustice, hunger, and so many ills that afflict him. It is surprising to observe that the same dedication given to stating the problem is not given to the search for solutions. We need to "search the spirit', an interior renewal, where the principal inspiration arises from the rediscovery of the transcendence of man. These are the premises that make us ponder on the importance of Love and Hope. If more than 85% of the world's population believes in God, why do we not let His Word guide us?

But God is a loving Father. He knows of our confusion and ignorance, which is why with great love, He allows the visits of His Mother to this earth. Experts estimate that in Garabandal (Spain), there were at least 2,500 apparitions between 1961 and 1965. Lamentably they have had an effect only on the hearts of a few people and are lost in the indifferent hearts of the majority, which is why these apparitions are generally unknown. But this Loving Mother "does not tire". She searches for options before the Father, continues to implore for mankind, and it is the Mercy of God that again gives mankind the gift of new wonders. In 1968, in Zeitoun (Egypt), twenty million Muslims saw the Virgin Mary until 1970. Two years later Father Steffano Gobbi received messages from Our Mother, and the Holy Father John Paul II authorized him to travel around the world, founding the "Marian Movement of Priests". Japan has also witnessed similar events. In Akita, Sister Agnes Sasagawa saw the Virgin, and a wooden statue representing Mary cried 101 times. The Bishop of that area, Monsignor Ito, approves of the event, which would later be confirmed by Cardinal Ratzinger in 1990. In 1976, similar apparitions followed in Betania (Venezuela). Bishop Pío Bello Ricardo recognized them as authentic and thousands of people saw the Virgin. But the most intense expression was yet to come. It was on June 24, 1981, in Medjugorje (Bosnia-Herzegovina), that six young people saw the Virgin. Fifteen years have gone by and the phenomenon is repeated every day. More than 22 million people have visited the place and the "fruits are good", millions of converts live the forgiveness and rediscover prayer, the sacraments, the Eucharist. An enthusiastic rebirth of the Christian faith can be seen.

Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, the Americas, in other words the whole world, talks of the same subject: "Place God in the center of your lives; He exists, but you have forgotten Him; convert, confess, receive communion, fast, pray, live in love, follow in the footsteps of Jesus; I, His Mother, ask this of you." Yes, it is the voice from Heaven; now no one can hide from this fact. He has come to embrace the world with Love. The proof is eloquent; science has been manifested in such a way that the local authorities of the Catholic Church are recognizing in many places, many apparitions (Akita, Betania, Zeitoun, Naju - Korea). The Mother of God and His Son are appearing throughout the world. What is this phenomenon?

Another loving answer comes from God. One more attempt to soften and move the hardened hearts of mankind. And these are no longer isolated events; Mary lives on this earth beside her Son every day. They search for free wills; they whisper words of love and mercy inviting conversion - many listen, others do not.

This whisper is also heard in Bolivia (South America), this time from the city of Cochabamba, where a "humble servant of God" named Catalina, receives the stigmata of Jesus. The wounds are eloquent, authentic; science has no explanation for them. They appear on a Thursday night, on Friday they manifest themselves with great pain, and by Saturday they have disappeared. The Church authorities have seen them.

As in other parts of the world, they are a visible proof of the presence of Jesus. But this is not all; Catalina receives messages from Jesus for Bolivia. In them He expresses His Love for Bolivia, seeks the support of His Bolivian sons to spread throughout the world a wonderful movement that He calls: "The Great Crusade Of Love".

All of the text that is before you are His Words, dictated to Catalina, the Bolivian woman who talks with God, the woman who has offered herself to Him as a victim soul with the deep desire to follow in His footsteps, she who has generously given her life for the good of Bolivians and of all mankind. Although her experiences are authentic, according to scientific opinion, this criterion does not seek to anticipate the official judgment of the Church authorities, to whom we submit ourselves unconditionally. Our opinion only endeavors to make it easier to understand an experience of love that this time God, in all His kindness, wanted to manifest to an innocent and beautiful world that thirsts for love. What could be better than quenching this thirst with the love of those that brought us the Love of Loves - Jesus and Mary. His Love and Mercy are for you and for those whom you want to reach with these messages.

(continues…)

EDITOR’S NOTES: Through the rest of 2003, Scoop will be publishing a series of daily reflections on spiritual matters from Bolivian author Katya Rivas. Rivas, has received an official imprimatur from the Catholic Church for several books she says she was instructed to write by Jesus Christ, Mary and various Angels. Scoop’s extract, above, comes from Rivas’s book “The Great Crusade of Love”. Readers can sign up to recieve daily extracts from Katya Rivas's writings by email at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dailykatya/

In 1999 Katya Rivas was the subject of a top-rating documentary show hosted by Mike Willessee (see Scoop TV review - Jesus Christ Tells FOXNews He Wants To Hug World and Scoop Images ). More recently Rivas says she was instructed by Jesus to have her books translated and published on the internet with the intention of having the books distributed to as wide an audience as possible. Several of the books can now be read online at http://www.greatcrusade.org/, and more are coming soon. In August 2002 Rivas visited Wellington New Zealand and met with Scoop Editor Alastair Thompson. See… Scoop Feature: Jesus's Secretary Visits Wellington

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: “Copyright© 2000 by The Great Crusade of Love and Mercy. All rights reserved. This book is published in coordination with The Apostolate of the New Evangelization. Permission is granted to reproduce this book as a whole in its entirety with no changes or additions and as long as the reproduction and distribution is done solely on a non-profit basis. This document is available at no cost online and can be downloaded and printed from the following Web Sites: in English at: http://www.greatcrusade.org and Spanish at: http://www.grancruzada.org …Please copy and distribute this book”.

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The Writings of Katya Rivas

The Great Crusade of Love and Mercy

Each year as an part of an observance of Lent Scoop.co.nz publishes a serialisation of Katya Rivas's book "The Passion".

Katya Rivas's work was the subject of a documentary made in 1999 by Australian's Ron Tesoriero and Mike Willissee called "Signs from God" ( read a review here ). In the same year the then Bishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio - now Pope Francis - requested a scientific investigation of a remarkable and unexplained phenomena involving a discarded host which had started to bleed. In 2013 Ron Tesoriero published a book "Unseen : New Evidence" which addresses what happened with this investigation and its implications for the quest to discover the origin of life. ( Find out more here ).

Contact The Writings of Katya Rivas

• Video - Buy a video about Katya Rivas
• Book - Buy The Book - "Unseen : New Evidence"