WITHthe first days after her dormition to this day, the Blessed Virgin Mary helps Christians. This is evidenced by Her numerous miracles and appearances. Let's list some of them.

Holiday of Intercession The Mother of God was installed in memory of the vision of St. Andrew of the Mother of God, covering with her omophorion (long scarf-veil) Christians in the Blachernae Church during the siege of Constantinople by enemies in the 10th century. At the fourth hour of the night, the blessed one saw a majestic Woman coming from the royal gates, supported by St. the Forerunner and John the Theologian, and many saints preceded her; others followed her, singing hymns and spiritual songs. St. Andrew approached his disciple Epiphanius and asked if he saw the Queen of the world. “I see,” he replied. And when they looked, she, kneeling before the pulpit, prayed for a long time, shedding tears. Then She approached the throne and prayed for the Orthodox people. At the end of the prayer, She removed the veil from her head and spread it over all the standing people. The city was saved. St. Andrew was a Slav by birth, and Russians greatly honor the Feast of the Intercession, dedicating many churches to him.

Further information in this chapter regarding the apparitions of the Mother of God is gleaned mainly from the foreign press. Our Church has not yet expressed its opinion on them, and we present them here as additional information.

Shortly before the revolution in Russia, on May 13, 1917, the Mother of God appeared to three Portuguese shepherd children in FATIMA. After this, She appeared to children for several months, surrounded by radiance. Believers flocked from five to eighteen thousand people from all over Portugal to Her apparition. An unforgettable miracle happened when, after heavy rain, an extraordinary light suddenly shone, and the wet clothes on people instantly dried. The Mother of God called people to repentance and prayer and predicted the upcoming “conversion of Russia” (from atheism to faith in God).

Starting on April 2, 1968, for more than a year, the Mother of God appeared in the suburbs CAIRA Zeitune above the temple dedicated to Her name. Her apparitions, which usually occurred between 12 at night and 5 in the morning, attracted large numbers of pilgrims. The Mother of God was surrounded by a radiance sometimes as bright as the sun, and white doves hovered around. Soon all of Egypt learned about the apparitions of the Mother of God, and the government began to take care that public meetings at the site of Her apparitions were held in order. Local newspapers in Arabic wrote about these frequent apparitions of the Mother of God. Several press conferences were held regarding the apparitions, at which people shared their impressions and what they heard from Her. The Mother of God also visited individuals in the vicinity of Cairo, for example, the Coptic Patriarch, who doubted Her appearances to the people. During the appearances of the Mother of God, many healings also occurred, witnessed by local doctors.

The Washington Post newspaper of July 5, 1986 reported new apparitions of the Mother of God over the Church of St. Demian in the working-class town of Terra Gulakia, north of Cairo. The Virgin Mary held the Child Christ in her arms and She was accompanied by several saints, among them St. Demian. As in past years, the appearances of the Mother of God were accompanied by numerous healings of incurable diseases, for example, blindness, kidneys, heart and others.

Since June 1981, the Mother of God began to appear to people on the mountain in INTERMOUNTAIN(Yugoslavia). Sometimes up to ten thousand people flocked to Her apparitions. People saw Her in an unearthly radiance. Then the appearances to the people stopped, and the Mother of God began to regularly appear to six young people and talk with them. Medjugorje has become a place of constant pilgrimage for believers from all over the world. Local, Italian and other newspapers have written and are writing about these phenomena. Our Lady gradually revealed 10 secrets to the young people, which they should tell the church representatives in due time. The Mother of God promised that 3 days after sharing her last secret, She would leave a visible “sign” for unbelievers. Representatives of medicine and other respectable people testify that young people who see the Mother of God are completely normal and their external reactions during visions are natural. Often the Mother of God, crying, spoke to young people about the need to establish peace on earth: “Peace, peace! The earth will not be saved unless peace is established on it. It will come only if people find God. The Lord is life. Those who believe in Him will find life and peace... People have forgotten prayer and fasting; many Christians have stopped praying.” It is interesting to note that in Medjugorje, where atheism previously prevailed and there were many party members, all residents became believers and left the Communist Party. In connection with the appearances of the Mother of God in Medjugorje, many miraculous healings occurred. The phenomena continue.

At Easter 1985 in the city LVOV During the service of Metropolitan John in the cathedral in the name of the Holy Mother of God and with a large crowd of believers, a cloud suddenly appeared in the window opening, shining like a ray of sun. Gradually it formed into a human figure and everyone recognized Her as the Mother of God. In a spiritual impulse, people began to pray loudly and cry for help. People standing outside also saw the image of the Mother of God in the window and tried to enter the church and prayed loudly. The crowd kept growing, and rumors of the miracle spread like lightning. All efforts of the police to disperse the worshipers were in vain. People began to arrive from Kyiv, from the Pochaev Lavra, Moscow, Tiflis and other cities. The authorities of Lvov asked Moscow to send the military, as well as experts in the field of science, to help. Scientists began to prove that there could be no miracles for people to disperse. And suddenly the Mother of God spoke: “Pray, repent of your sins, because... There is very little time left... “During the sermon, the Mother of God healed many cripples and sick people. The visions of the Mother of God and healings continued for three and a half weeks, and She still spoke a lot for the salvation of people. People did not leave either day or night.

1. Secrets and warnings

A) From the sermon of Fr. Tomislav Vlasic on Easter Sunday
April 22, 1984, Medjugorje

TEN SECRETS

All the seers say that they saw heaven and purgatory, four of them saw hell, and two girls prayed to the Blessed Virgin not to show them hell, because they were afraid. These seers say that from the very beginning the Blessed Virgin told them that She would entrust to them ten secrets for all people. By now, eight secrets are already known to Vitska, ten to Mirjana, and nine to everyone else.

Seers say that these ten secrets are relevant to the whole world and are sequentially connected to each other. There are also other secrets, personal secrets for children or for certain people, which are connected with future events in the world. Among the ten secrets is the promise of the Blessed Virgin to leave a visible sign at the site of these apparitions in Medjugorje.
Seers say they saw this sign in a vision. It is beautiful, permanent and indestructible. He will be here in Medjugorje for all humanity and many miracles will be associated with him. Five children know the date when he will appear. They all emphasize that the period before the appearance of the sign is a period of mercy and strengthening of faith.

Mirjana reveals more about these secrets and the future of the world. Since Christmas 1982, daily apparitions have ceased to visit Mirjana, since on this day she received the last secret, as well as the dates when all these secrets are realized. On that day, the Blessed Virgin said: “Now turn to God in faith, like all other people. I will come to you on your birthday, and also when you feel bad in life.” After this, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her twice on her birthday on March 18, 1983 and 1984 (the Blessed Virgin also appeared to her on August 25 and September 13, 1984). Mirjana says that before the visible sign appears, the world will know three secrets. These three secrets will be three warnings to the world and will be revealed to her three days before they come. She will tell the priest what is about to happen. After these three warnings, a visible sign will appear, and after this sign, if the world is not converted, punishment will come. Mirjana says that there will certainly be punishment, but it can be weakened.
She says that the seventh secret has already been abolished, since many people prayed and kept fasts, although this secret should have been very difficult and should have been revealed to the world for its sins.
From this we see that punishment can be reduced by penance, fasting and prayer. That is why the Blessed Virgin constantly calls us: “Pray, fast and convert.” I asked Mirjana how long it would take to wait for this, to which she replied that for her it would happen very soon. I don't know what very soon means. Will months, years, decades pass? I don't know. However, she said, “This period is very short.” Then I asked her another question: “What do you want to say to the world today?” She replied, “Convert as quickly as possible and open your hearts to God.”

THE AGE OF SATAN

Mirjana had a special vision on April 14, 1982. While she was waiting for the appearance of the Blessed Virgin, Satan appeared to her in the guise of the Blessed Virgin. She writes: “He was ugly, terribly ugly. You can’t imagine how ugly he is, he almost killed me with his gaze, I almost lost consciousness. He told me: “You must leave God and the Blessed Virgin, since They will bring you suffering, come with me, and I will make you happy in love and in life.” My heart was screaming, “No, no, no.” Then Satan disappeared and the Blessed Virgin appeared with the words: “I am sorry that this happened, but you should know that Satan exists: he asked God to allow him to test the Church for a certain period in order to try to destroy it. God allowed him to rule for one century, saying: “You cannot destroy her.” The age we live in belongs to Satan. When the secrets I entrusted to you are realized, his power will be destroyed. Satan has become aggressive because he is losing his power. He breaks up marriages, quarrels with priests, persecutes people, even kills them. Therefore, protect yourself by prayer, fasting and above all by praying together. Renew the use of holy water, carry consecrated and holy objects, keep them in your homes."
Experts say it is reminiscent of the vision Pope Leo XIII had when he saw in an apocalyptic vision that the Church was being attacked by demons. After which he introduced a prayer dedicated to the Archangel Michael, which until the recent Second Vatican Council was read by the priest after the mass. […]
On January 7, 1983, the Blessed Virgin told the children some episodes from Her life. She told Witzka every evening the story of Her life, and all this will be published when the Blessed Virgin allows it. Since mid-July 1983, the Blessed Virgin told Ivanka about the future of the world. All this will be written down by the girl and published when the Blessed Virgin speaks. In the fall, the most serious messages were communicated. In September, through Jacob, the Blessed Virgin said: “I have already said several times that the world is in danger, love one another brotherly, pray and fast more, so that you can be saved.”
Yakov says that this must be brought to everyone's attention. Further, on November 30, 1983, the Blessed Virgin told Mary to tell the priest: “You must convey to the bishop and the pope the urgency and importance of these messages to all humanity.” […]

FALSE AND TRUE PROPHECIES

Some people who come here and hear that the appearances of the Blessed Virgin on earth will be Her last appearances, and hear about secrets, get scared and begin to say that there will soon be a war, some kind of catastrophe, or something like that. To this the Blessed Virgin answers: “Those who say that on such and such a date, in such and such a year there will be a catastrophe, they are all false prophets. I always said: contact, contact, contact. Your future depends on your conversion." From this we can judge the difference between true and false prophecies, since false prophecies are always fatalistic, while biblical prophecies are always conditional: “If Nineveh had been converted, it would not have been destroyed.” As you can see, everything depends on us and for this reason the Blessed Virgin always emphasizes the message of peace, prayer and fasting<...>The Blessed Virgin says: “Do not think about wars, punishments, evil, because thoughts about them already lead to this path. Your task is to accept the Divine world, live in it and spread it.” From here we see what is meant by the concept “World”. This is a completely positive position. […] The Blessed Virgin repeated several times: “Your task is to accept the Divine world, live in it and spread it” (P.15-17).

B) From an article about. Slavko Barbarić “What is Medjugorje?..”

Let us not be surprised that here, as well as in Fatima and other recognized and unrecognized places, we are talking about secrets. For many, this causes an apocalyptic mood, often accompanied by internal fear and the expectation of some kind of disaster. Thus, the essential aspect of hope and active interaction with it is lost. […] Those who see know the meaning of these secrets. Each of them, according to them, should be involved in the ten mysteries.

Mirjana and Ivanka already have these ten secrets to their credit and therefore their revelations have ceased to be daily. Vicka, Maria, Yakov and Ivan each have nine secrets<…>The fact that seers live without knowing fear at all is worthy of attention; Their only concern is to live in such a way as to follow the proclamations in everything. From this it follows that the Mother of God appears to us not at all in order to instill fear in us, but in order to warn us in a motherly way and lead us by the hand to Jesus.
The seers claim that the Mother of God told them about Her life and the future destinies of the world. All this is not yet available to us, but someday, if the Mother of God allows, all the texts will be transferred to the priest. The same will happen with all secrets, with the exception of personal ones. Revelations are constantly accompanied by signs of light - sometimes in Krizhevac, sometimes in the sky. Seers claim that these are harbingers of a great sign, designed to strengthen our faith.

2. Heaven and Earth
a) From a conversation between priest Andrzej Strus and Maria Pavlovich
9.02.1985

Did the lady tell you about hell?
Maria:
- Yakov and Vitska saw hell, but I didn’t want to. Gospa tells us about purgatory. She often repeats that we must pray for those who are in purgatory because they need our help. She also says that people go to hell for their sins and that we should pray as much as possible for their correction so that they avoid hell.

* * *
The Mother of God confirmed that the devil exists and is always nearby, looking for opportunities to destroy everyone. All who saw saw heaven and purgatory, but only four saw hell. Two girls asked the Mother of God to deliver them from this spectacle. They said that heaven is completely beyond human imagination and that hell is terrible and eternal. Our Lady said that only a few go straight to heaven. Most people are in purgatory. She also added that now many people are going to hell for sexual sins, and therefore She pleaded for the sanctity of marriage (EM.13).
* * *
“We go to God in full consciousness: in the consciousness that we have now.” “At the moment of death we become aware of the separation of the soul from the body. It is wrong to teach people that we are born many times. We are only born once. The body, generated by matter, decomposes naturally after death. A person acquires a transformed body. You must prepare for death. Reincarnation is a pure invention of people” (END.19).

“Choose (decide on) heaven.” “Dear children, make up your mind and believe that God is giving Himself to you in all His fullness. You are called and must respond to Heavenly Father. Pray, for in prayer each of you can find the perfection of love.” “Few go straight to Heaven.” “A person who has done a lot of evil in his life can go to Heaven if he confesses and regrets what he has done, and if he takes communion at the end of his life” (END.17).
“There are different levels in purgatory: at the very bottom are those who are closest to hell, and then ascending are the spheres that are closer and closer to Heaven.”

“Pray every day for the souls of purgatory. Every person needs prayers and mercy in order to come to God and to the Love of God. By praying for them, you will acquire, dear children, new intercessors who will help you understand in your life that not a single thing on this earth is important to you. You should only strive for Heaven."

“There are many souls in purgatory that have been there for a long time, since no one prays for them.” “The largest number of souls leave purgatory is not on All Souls’ Day, but on Christmas Day. In some cases, with God's permission, some souls make their presence felt by their loved ones remaining on earth in different ways. This helps remind people of the existence of purgatory and the need to pray to a God who is just but kind.” "Most souls end up in purgatory."
"Many go to hell." “People who go to hell do not want to listen to God and no longer want and cannot receive any mercy from Him. They don't repent. They continually blaspheme and blaspheme. They have chosen life in hell, and they do not even think about leaving it. The Lord gave everyone free will.” “In hell, everyone suffers equally.” “The souls who are in hell have no opportunity to improve their condition” (END.17).
* * *
“God does not discriminate between people. Religion cannot divide people. You must respect every person for his faith, you must not despise him because of his beliefs” (END.13).
“You yourselves are divided on earth. Muslims and Orthodox Christians, on the same grounds as Catholics, are equal before My Son and before Me.” “You are all My children. Of course, all religions are not equal, but all people are equal before God. It is not enough to simply belong to the Catholic Church to be saved; you must follow the Commandments of God and your conscience.” “Those who do not belong to the Catholic denomination are no less creatures created in the image of God and called to one day return to the Father’s house.” “Salvation is granted to everyone without exception. Only those who consciously reject God are condemned” (END-21).

The Russian reader may be especially interested to know that in October 1981, the Mother of God answered the question about the destinies of the East and West. And in this answer, which contained that characteristic of Western civilization “without God”, which we have already quoted, there were the following words: “Russia will become a country where the glory of God will be greatest” (PM.15).

On the first day of the new year, Catholics around the world celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and we remember the most notable appearances of the Virgin Mary to the people in history

Irina ROMANOVA

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The Virgin Mary is one of the most revered personalities and the greatest of Christian saints. There is probably not a single person in the world (with the exception of babies, perhaps) who has not heard of her. Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and atheists know about Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ.

The veneration of the Virgin Mary is based on the truth of Her Motherhood, and it is to this truth that the Roman Catholic Church dedicated the first day of the new year. On January 1, Catholics around the world celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the holiday that completes the Christmas octave.

Well, on this day we will remember the most famous appearances of the Virgin Mary to the people. However, let us make a reservation that not all of these phenomena are officially recognized by the Catholic Church. Some are still waiting in the wings and are being carefully studied. In addition, there are many times more apparitions of the Blessed Virgin than seven.

The first appearance. Baptizing Latin America.

Residents of Latin America sacredly honor the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, who is considered the patroness of both Americas and is respectfully called “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” And the cult of veneration of the Virgin of Guadalupe began with the modest Indian Juan Diego, who lived near Mexico City. On December 9, 1531, as a Catholic convert, he hurried past Tepeyac Hill to attend morning mass at church, but unexpectedly heard beautiful singing. Deciding to be curious about where this voice (or voices) was coming from, he climbed to the top of the hill and saw a shining cloud. In the cloud, Juan Diego saw a beautiful young woman who looked more like the girls of his tribe than a white-skinned Spanish woman.

The lady called herself the Virgin Mary and asked to build a temple at the site of her appearance so that everyone could honor her Son, Jesus Christ. But bad luck! The priests did not believe Juan, deciding that the Mother of God could not appear to some Indian without a soul (previously, the Spaniards believed that the indigenous population of Latin America did not have a soul, which means that Indians could be killed without a twinge of conscience).

But the Mother of God did not retreat. One day, when Juan Diego went to find a priest for his sick uncle, the Virgin Mary once again appeared to the unfortunate Indian and ordered him to collect all the flowers that he could find on the hill. The young man obeyed, although nothing grew on the hill. But suddenly he saw a rose bush growing on a rock. “Here is My sign,” said the Virgin Mary. “Take these roses, wrap them in your cloak and take them to the bishop.” This time he will believe you."

Arriving at the bishop, Juan Diego unwrapped his cape, where there were roses, and everyone saw on the cloth the Virgin Mary standing on the new moon, surrounded by stars and the Sun. After this, the priests repented of their unbelief, and Juan Diego's uncle, who was dying, was miraculously healed.

All this convinced the indigenous people of Mexico, who continued to worship their gods, that Christianity was the true faith. And after the appearance of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, almost 6 million Indians independently converted to Catholicism. Thus the baptism of Latin America took place.

The second phenomenon. The Virgin and the Shepherdess.

In 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared to a simple village girl from the French town of Lourdes. 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, who did not shine with intelligence, actually became the messenger of the dogma of the Catholic Church about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On February 11, 1858, Bernadette and her other children were sent by her parents to fetch branches for kindling. To get to the grove, where they could collect these same branches, the children had to cross a small stream. Bernadette's friends quickly completed this task, but the girl was left standing undecided whether to cross the stream or not.

Without waiting for her decision, the children left Bernadette alone. When the girl finally decided to cross the cold stream, she suddenly saw a golden cloud that floated out of the cave on the other side of the stream. A woman of unearthly beauty stood on a cloud...

The first time Bernadette did not dare to follow the beautiful lady, but for all the other 18 appearances, the shepherdess not only followed the stranger, but also talked to her. At first, the girl thought that this was the soul of one of the village residents who had died a year earlier, but later she realized that the Virgin Mary herself was talking to her. Bernadette, who passionately wanted to know the name of her interlocutor, once voiced her question at one of the meetings, and then the Mother of God answered: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” The girl conveyed these words to her confessor, who remembered that literally 4 years earlier the church had accepted the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Of course, the uneducated Bernadette could not know about this. So, all the residents of nearby villages believed that the young shepherdess from Lourdes communicated with the Virgin Mary.

Bernadette later became a nun, but did not live long. She died at the age of 35 from backbreaking work, the envy of other nuns and worries associated with the enormous attention of pilgrims to a modest girl. In 1933, Bernadette Soubirous was canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church.

The third phenomenon. Fatima secrets.

It is believed that the Virgin Mary appeared to three children from the Portuguese town of Fatima in 1917, but some researchers claim that these apparitions continued from 1915 until the end of 1917.

The Virgin Mary left three predictions for three children - two sisters Lucie and Jacinta and their brother Francisco - that were not immediately revealed. Firstly, the children were not believed at first. When Jacinta told her parents about her meetings with the beautiful Virgin, she was ridiculed, and Lucia was even beaten. The headman, interrogating the children together and separately, could not get a confession that all these meetings and predictions were an invention of the children themselves.

Thirteen years later, after a thorough investigation, the appearance of the Virgin Mary at Fatima was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as a genuine miracle. However, skeptics are still confident that there is nothing supernatural in the Fatima apparitions. Some scientists believe that the “dance of the sun,” which was observed by 70 thousand pilgrims who came to Fatima on October 13, 1917, with children and 70 thousand pilgrims who came to Fatima, is easily explained by the laws of physics, while others are sure that a UFO is to blame.

Nevertheless, three predictions, three secrets that the Mother of God revealed to three children came true. The first concerned the beginning of World War II, the second - the fate of Russia, and the third - the fate of the Pope.

About Russia, the Virgin Mary said this: “... Another war will begin... (we are most likely talking about the October Revolution and the Civil War - author’s note) To prevent this, I will ask for the dedication of Russia to My Immaculate Heart... If my requests are responded to, Russia will convert and peace will come; if not, then she will spread her errors throughout the world, sowing wars and persecution against the Church; the righteous will become martyrs... many nations will be destroyed. But in the end My Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, which will convert, and peace will be granted for a while.”

By the way, in 1952, Pope Pius XII, with a special apostolic letter, dedicated the peoples of Russia to the Most Pure Heart of Mary. A similar ceremony took place 12 years later, when the next Pope, Paul VI, dedicated the people of Russia and other countries of the “socialist bloc” to the Heart of Mary for the second time.

The third prediction of the Virgin Mary was revealed relatively recently. It concerned an attempt on the life of the Pope. Indeed, in 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot by a Turkish terrorist. However, the hierarch of the Catholic Church remained alive, and a year later he visited Fatima, placing a bullet taken from his body on the altar of the temple built in honor of the appearance of the Virgin Mary.

The fourth phenomenon. Virgin Mary in Japan.

The Most Pure Mother of God appeared to people not only in Europe. In the early 70s of the last century, the Virgin Mary appeared in Japan, in the small town of Akita. The Mother of God was seen by the deaf nun Agnes Sasagawa Katsuko.

At the age of 19, after an unsuccessful operation, she lost her hearing and was bedridden for 16 years. The doctors just shrugged their shoulders. They were powerless to help the girl.

The deaf patient was transferred from the hospital. And in one of the hospitals, she met with a Catholic nurse who told the unfortunate woman about the Christian faith. Thanks to the nurse, Agnes's condition improved, and in 1969 she decided to enter a monastery and devote herself to God. True, 4 months after the tonsure, the woman’s condition worsened again, and only holy water from a source in Lourdes helped the nun get back on her feet. The first time Agnes saw the Virgin Mary was on June 12, 1973 during prayer. Brilliant mysterious rays came out of the Monstrance. Agnes saw these rays for several days, and then a stigmata in the shape of a cross formed on her left palm. The pain was unbearable, but the nun remained steadfast, answering the sisters who consoled her that the wound on the hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary was much deeper. The amazed sisters decided to go into the chapel and discovered the same wound on the statue of the Virgin Mary... But the miracles in Akita did not end there. That same evening, Agnes, praying to the image of the Mother of God, heard the first message. The Virgin Mary told the nun that she would soon be healed and called on all the sisters to pray for people in order to atone for their sins and stop the wrath of the Heavenly Father.

The Mother of God appeared to Agnes several more times, calling her to patience and perseverance. She predicted the nun not only her future fate, which included persecution and ridicule, but also the fate of the Japanese people, in particular the deadly tsunami in March 2011.

10 years after the appearance of the Virgin Mary, Agnes’s hearing returned and she finally recovered. After humiliating examinations of the sisters who witnessed the miraculous phenomenon, the Roman Catholic Church nevertheless recognized this fact as genuine, although before the investigation, more than 500 people, including both Christians and Buddhists, saw the statue of the Virgin Mary in the Akita monastery exuded blood, sweat and tears.

Fifth phenomenon. The Most Pure One in Zeitoun.

Sometimes the appearance of the Mother of God can last for years. So, in Egypt, the Virgin Mary was seen starting from April 2, 1968 and ending in August 1969. The Zeytun phenomenon is noteworthy in that the Mother of God was seen not only by Christians and photographs of this phenomenon remained.

The first to see the Virgin Mary in the Cairo suburb of Zeitoun were... Muslims. The three mechanics saw a woman dressed in white robes standing on top of the church. Unfortunately, the men were never able to see their faces due to the blinding light emanating from the figure. But someone suggested that it was the Virgin Mary, and immediately the figure in white confirmed this assumption with an affirmative tilt of her head.

The people who observed the appearance of the Virgin Mary immediately rushed to the priest who lived nearby, demanding that he explain this vision. The priest decided to look at the phenomenon, opened the window - and a wonderful Light poured into his room. He saw the Most Pure Virgin in a halo of radiance, however, the vision did not last long. The figure rose into the night sky and disappeared into the darkness.

The number of people wishing to see the Blessed Virgin grew exponentially. Crowds of 250 thousand people gathered at the church where the first apparition took place. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and atheists chanted: “We believe in You, Holy Mary! We bear witness to You, Holy Mary!” And the Virgin Mary appeared to a crowd of thousands...

At first, these phenomena happened two or three times a week, but over time, the Mother of God appeared before the eyes of people less and less often. But each time Mary appeared in different guises - now as the Queen of the World, now as the Virgin grieving for all nations, now with the Baby Jesus in her arms, now kneeling before the Cross. There are known cases of miraculous healing during these phenomena. Once, photographer Vagih Rizk Matta, trying to photograph the Virgin Mary on film, slightly opening the camera shutter, discovered that his sore arm, which had been bothering him for a long time, suddenly healed. The appearance of the Virgin Mary in Zeytun became a kind of bridge between East and West. For the first time in the history of mankind, people of different faiths prayed together, without any division into nationalities and races.

The Holy Cross Icon of the Mother of God was painted after the appearance of the Mother of God in Budennovsk.

On June 14, 1995, at noon, Shamil Basayev’s gang burst into the city of Budennovsk, Stavropol Territory. The militants destroyed everything in their path, taking the staff and patients of the central hospital hostage. According to Basayev himself, he did not plan to stop in Budennovsk at all, his goal was the airport in Mineralnye Vody, where he and his people wanted to hijack a plane to go to Moscow. But the militants did not have enough money to get to Mineralnye Vody - they all spent it on bribes to police patrols. Realizing that there was a catastrophic lack of funds, Basayev decided to carry out a terrorist attack in Budennovsk.

As a result, more than 1,500 people were taken hostage by the bandits. For six days, medical staff, elderly people, children and pregnant women ready to give birth lived in anticipation of a miracle. And the miracle happened. The Virgin Mary hastened to the aid of the hostages.

Residents of Budennovsk, as well as militants, have repeatedly seen a grieving woman in dark clothes standing near a cross made of clouds. Moreover, the Mother of God was seen not only the night before the seizure of the hospital, but also the night before the terrorists left the city. There is an opinion among local (and not only local) residents that it was the appearance of Mary that was decisive in Basayev’s desire to leave Budennovsk, since some of the terrorists were shocked and demoralized by the appearance of the Mother of God. On the fortieth day of commemoration of the victims of this tragedy, at the behest of Metropolitan Gideon of Stavropol, the Holy Cross Icon of the Mother of God was painted. It shows Mary near a cross on a blue background. The saint's hands are folded in prayer. True, the Mother of God, contrary to the descriptions of witnesses, is depicted in purple clothes, not dark ones. The color red became a symbol of the blood of innocent victims in 1995 in Budennovsk.

With the advent of the 21st century, the Virgin Mary did not leave the inhabitants of the Earth, continuing to appear to those who most needed protection. In 2008, residents of burning Tskhinvali saw the Mother of God walking through the streets of the city torn apart by shells. When Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia on August 8 of that year, some residents were able to watch as the beautiful Virgin descended from the dome of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and walked towards the Russian soldiers, despite gunfire and explosions.

Bishop George of Alania at first did not believe the witnesses of this miracle, believing that some residents of Tskhinvali saw the Virgin Mary out of fear, but then he himself saw the Mother of Jesus Christ leaving the church, and all doubts disappeared like smoke. The Mother of God was seen precisely in those places where the bloodiest battles took place.

Incredible, but true: the bombs destroyed many churches, but spared the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from where Mary descended. Shells fell into the cathedral courtyard, but they did not cause any damage to the building.

By the way, the paper icons of the Mother of God and the Savior, which were distributed to the soldiers of the Russian Army by a local resident, helped warrant officer Alexander Shashin stay alive. He put the icons in his breast pockets, and the sniper’s bullet, flying straight into his chest, suddenly turned sideways and hit him flat, falling on Alexander’s knees. After this incident, the ensign provided all his colleagues with the icons that he had taken in reserve. No one died from Shashin’s unit...

Very often people encounter the manifestation of the divine principle in their lives. Apparitions of the Virgin Mary also occur in the modern world and are worth mentioning. When does the Mother of God most often appear to people, and why does this happen?

It is important to note that the appearance of the Virgin Mary most often occurs in those countries where religious faith is still strong. It is also believed that such a miracle can only be seen by a person who has long believed in the divinity of the origin of the world.

When and how does the Virgin Mary most often appear?

The appearance of the Mother of God, as noted above, can occur under a variety of conditions, but most often, the Mother of Christ tries to warn ordinary people about disasters and wars that will soon occur. Moreover, sometimes the Virgin Mary appears in the middle of a city in which military operations are taking place. It is very easy to notice her, as well as to distinguish her from an ordinary person.

The thing is that the Mother of God appears in the form of a light female silhouette, as if woven from a haze. Of course, people immediately pay attention to such a strange phenomenon, understanding all its sublimity and divinity. In particular, the Mother of God appeared in South Ossetia, in Tskhinvali, during shelling of the city and armed battles. This is evidenced by numerous believers who noticed a mysterious silhouette among the destroyed houses and destroyed villages. Also, many eyewitnesses claimed that the mysterious figure stopped bullets and prevented explosions. Of course, it is almost impossible to confirm the divinity of such a phenomenon.

And yet, believers are usually shocked to the core by such cases. Why does the appearance of the Mother of God occur? Most often, there is one reason - protecting people from sorrows, and accompanying them through the most difficult trials in life. In particular, the Mother of God often appears during military operations, when people need faith and protection. Also, the Mother of God can appear to a person during illness, as a symbol of the fact that he has not yet fulfilled his life purpose. It is believed that not every person can visit the appearance of the Mother of God. Only a deeply religious person will be able to notice the silhouette of the Mother of God and listen to her wise advice. And yet, you should not completely rely on such a divine appearance, because in a state of passion, a person can imagine anything he wants.

People often testify that the Mother of God suggests the right path that a person should follow in life. Of course, such a strange divine phenomenon is often discussed both in the press and in church circles. Here everything depends on a person’s skepticism or his deep faith in what is happening.

The most famous cases in the modern world

The appearance of the Mother of God these days is not uncommon. Of course, now such phenomena are increasingly subject to criticism and skepticism from fighters against prejudice. The whole point is that now people’s faith in the divine principle is weakening, and therefore, even obvious cases of the intervention of the Mother of God in people’s lives are subject to skeptical analysis.

And yet, no one now disputes the appearance of the Mother of God in the sky over Budennovsk. The fact is that in 1995 the city of Budennovsk was captured by Basayev’s militants, who held 150 people in a local hospital. For several days, the hospital staff, the elderly, children and women in the final stages of pregnancy, prayed for divine salvation. Apparently, their prayers were heard, because soon a woman dressed in black began to appear in front of the hospital building. She prayed at a cross made of clouds, and this made an indelible impression on everyone. Many people still believe that it was the appearance of the Virgin Mary that helped them survive. The fact is that even the militants became imbued with this phenomenon and decided to retreat. As a result, due to divine intervention, innocent people were saved.

The appearance of the Mother of God in the sky once happened in Samara. The face of the mother of Christ was noticed by a girl named Christina, who immediately identified the divinity of this sign. Later, the face was captured on camera, and the pictures spread almost all over the world. Experts around the world unanimously confirmed the divinity of this phenomenon. And yet, there were skeptics who actively denied that there was anything supernatural, much less divine, in the symbol. By the way, this phenomenon happened quite recently, in 2010.

In fact, the appearance of the Mother of God in the modern world confirms that a person can even now encounter something divine and incredible. Perhaps all this is just the machinations of overly religious people who are trying to find the desired symbols in everything. However, sometimes, in stressful situations, only divine help can help save a person. It is quite possible that such phenomena will be repeated again, because now the global political situation clearly does not inspire calm.

It is interesting to note that skeptics have proven that many of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary were untrue. As in the case of UFO sightings, the face of the Virgin Mary is often just a fiction that helps draw attention to observers of the divine miracle. And yet, the mysticism of some of these events cannot leave a person indifferent.

The appearance of the Mother of God is evidence that even in the modern world God does not abandon man. Perhaps now faith is losing its meaning, but there are situations when only divine help can save a person and give him hope.

History does not know many cases when the Blessed Virgin appeared to ordinary people. Apparitions of the Mother of God also occurred in the 20th century. Some of them were even captured on film or video camera. We have selected three of the most impressive stories that will not leave anyone indifferent.

History of the Painted Image on Mount Athos

September 3 in the Orthodox calendar is marked by the feast of the unusual image of the Mother of God, called the Light-Painted. On it the Blessed Virgin is depicted with a loaf of bread in her hands. The name “Painting with Light” is no coincidence: “painting with light” is a literal translation from the Greek word “photography”. And it is with photography that his story is connected.

The events that we will talk about took place in 1903 on Holy Mount Athos and are considered, perhaps, one of the most famous apparitions of the Mother of God of our time. The monks of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery then had a tradition - every week they distributed alms to the nomadic monks on Athos, called Siromakhs, and others in need. The necessary provisions for these purposes were brought to them from the Russian farmsteads of the monastery.

However, this year the Holy Kinot, the main governing body on Mount Athos, decided to stop the distribution of alms, since it corrupts those asking. It was on this day, September 3, 1903, that the monks decided to distribute the last alms, after which they read out the resolution of Kinot.

At the time of the distribution of alms, a certain monk named Gabriel took a photograph with beggars who received alms in the form of flatbread - chereks. However, no one expected that during the development of the negative, the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary would appear in the photograph, standing with the poor and receiving alms. It is clear that after this, charity in the Russian monastery on Athos, pleasing to God and His Most Pure Mother, continued.

At the site of the described event in 2011, a chapel was built and a source was drawn to it, and a temple was erected in honor of the Icon of Light. For a long time, the original negative of the photograph itself was lost due to many events that befell the monastery. And only last year it was found again in the archives of the monastery.

The longest apparition of the Mother of God in Zeitoun

Unfortunately, very little is known about this phenomenon in our country. The reason for this is that it happened in Soviet times, when atheistic propaganda tried to hush up such news. At the same time, the phenomenon in Zeitoun is the longest and most documented miracle, which, in addition, was witnessed by the maximum number of people.

The first phenomenon occurred on April 2, 1968 in the city of Zeitoun, which is considered a suburb of the Egyptian capital Cairo. That evening, two car park workers noticed a translucent luminous figure of a Woman on the dome of a temple belonging to the Coptic Orthodox Church.

At first, one of the workers thought that she had decided to commit suicide and began to shout, persuading Her not to do this. Soon they called the priest of this church and realized that this was not an ordinary woman, but the Most Holy Theotokos. She prayed in front of the cross on the dome, which also glowed.

The phenomenon in Zeitoun repeated a week later, and then occurred at varying intervals until May 29, 1971. It lasted for different periods of time: from several minutes to two hours. During this time, crowds of thousands of people of different faiths and even non-believers gathered to see the miracle. Many of them subsequently converted to Christianity.

Also, this appearance of the Mother of God was marked by various miracles and healings. The first of these happened to the same car park worker who first noticed Virgo. The next day, his finger was supposed to be amputated, but the doctor stated that this was no longer necessary, since the finger was healthy.

How the Blessed Virgin looked and behaved was captured on many video and photo cameras. She was wearing long clothes with a covering on her head. A halo shone around the head, behind which it was impossible to distinguish facial features. Sometimes She was seen holding the baby Jesus in her arms. Sometimes She held an olive branch in her hands.

Glowing doves often appeared around the Most Holy Theotokos; it happened that they formed a cross, and then gathered together and seemed to melt into the air. Often the Mother of God turned and blessed people. Moreover, no projectors or lighting devices that could simulate this miracle were found.

However, one must understand that this miracle could also be a phenomenon of a different, opposite nature, as Professor A.I. Osipov, for example, treats it with caution.

The Blessed Virgin resurrected a Muslim in Damascus

The next story is very different from the previous two, as well as from everything you can imagine. Any novelist or screenwriter could envy her plot. But the most amazing thing in the story, perhaps, is that all this actually happened. And although the appearance of the Mother of God was witnessed by one person, himself a participant in the events, the incredible consequences of the miracle were confirmed by many, including medical staff.

This incident is best known as the “miracle in Syria.” It was publicized by some media in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Palestine in 2004, first on television, then on radio, through newspapers and magazines. Its participant and protagonist of the events is a certain sheikh from Saudi Arabia. Sometimes sources mention his name: Shahid D.

Shortly before the events described, he successfully married. The marriage of a young wealthy family was marred by only one thing: they had no children. The parents even advised their son to marry another woman, since polygamy is permissible in Islam, and to give birth to an heir from her. Instead, Shahid went with his wife on a trip to Damascus, Syria, to relieve his grief.

There they hired a limousine with a driver-guide who took them to all the sights of the city. The guide sensed their sad mood and soon learned the reason for it. Then the guide advised us to visit the Seidnaya Orthodox monastery, famous for its miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There was an interesting tradition there: believers ate part of the wick from the lamp standing in front of the image of the Most Pure One, in front of which they prayed, and after that their useful petitions were fulfilled.

The sheikh and his wife, inspired by what they heard, immediately wanted to visit this place. At the same time, they promised that if their problem was resolved favorably, they would generously reward the driver with twenty thousand dollars and donate four times as much to the monastery itself.

And a miracle happened! Soon after returning from the monastery, the sheikh's wife became pregnant, and nine months later they had a son. But this was only the beginning of the benefits that the Most Holy Theotokos provided to the non-Christian. Shahid did not forget about his promise and warned the driver that he would soon come to Damascus to thank him and make a donation to the monastery.

However, the guide decided to rob the generous Muslim and take all his money. To do this, he persuaded two more partners to meet the sheikh at the airport with him. On the way, Shahid tried to persuade the criminals, promised to pay each of them ten thousand, but, blinded by greed and anger, they took him to a wasteland and killed him, taking all the money and jewelry.

But the desperation of the attackers did not end there: they dismembered the corpse, cutting off the head, legs and arms. However, for some reason, they did not leave the body here, but put it in the trunk, intending to bury it in another deserted place. But then God’s providence unexpectedly intervened. On the way on the highway, the criminals' car broke down.

One driver passing by offered them his help, to which the attackers rudely refused. The driver was alarmed by their behavior. In addition, he accidentally noticed traces of blood pouring from the trunk. Therefore, soon the police were already at this place. After much argument, the criminals had to open the trunk...

But what was everyone’s surprise when a living sheikh came out of the trunk with the words: “The Most Holy Theotokos just gave me the last stitch here!” He pointed to his neck. The three attackers immediately lost their minds, which led them to admit that they had killed this man. They were placed in a prison for the insane.

Doctors confirmed an extraordinary incident: the stitches turned out to be completely fresh. Moreover, even the thinnest and most delicate vessels were connected, which was impossible to accomplish using conventional medical means. The sheikh, brought back to life, in gratitude for this, donated ten times more to the monastery than he had previously promised.

He himself said that he saw everything that happened to him, the appearance of the Mother of God and his healing, as if from the outside. After this incident, the Muslim sheikh and his entire family converted to Orthodoxy. The believer tries to talk about the miracle that happened to him in Syria as often as possible, although the Arab media try to hush up about it, fearing the conversion of even more Muslims to Christianity.

You will learn more about one of the described miracles from the video: