Our Lady: "We have allowed you to accept a heavier cross, for in this way I have fulfilled a promise to you that your children will be saved. One will enter into your family on conversion.

"I have asked all My children to bring the light to those who are in darkness. By your example you may convert and bring others back to My Son.

TRIBULATIONS HAVE STARTED

"The great tribulations that I have spoken of to you many times have started, My children. We find that they are going unrecognized as from the Father. The heart has grown callous to the sufferings of others. Why, My children, do so many blind themselves to mercy for their brothers until they, too, must feel the sword upon them?

"The Gospel as written by Our beloved seers of the past has gone throughout the world. The word of the Father will reach all, and they will, each individual, have made their choice.

"Many graces are being dispensed by My Son through the sacred grounds about you. I have promised to bring many back to My Son through these graces of conversion and cures.

SIGN FOR THE BISHOP

"A bishop asks for the sign of truth. The Father will send him the sign when he opens his heart to the Holy Spirit.

"The Father, My child, guides the battle ahead. We are at war, but this is not a war of worldly nature. It is a war of the spirits. Recognize that We will make in these days many great saints. They will not gain their crown without suffering.

"The sins of the flesh are sending many souls to hell. The desire for riches condemn many souls. All power gained through riches is but of short duration. Shall you trade that for eternity?

"My Son has chosen from the world many to represent Him in His House. It saddens Our hearts to know that many now prefer life among the human race. They do not prefer to stand forth as an example of My Son. Unless My Son's representatives return to their life of prayer, they will be led farther from the path.

"If you have given your lives into the trust of My Son, you will be guided along the right path for your salvation. Do not expect to fully understand the ways of your God, for His judgment is not akin to man's. Accept the trials and the sufferings of your daily life on earth; and when the time comes, you will fully understand why your cross was made heavy. And I assure you, My children, at that time you will rise with joy of heart to know that you were given the opportunity for your salvation.

"My child, I have a humble lesson to give to your world. If you are to follow My Son and stay on the road that leads to the Kingdom, you must divest yourself of all desire for worldly embellishment. You must desire to strip your being of all worldly vanity and pride. You owe nothing, My children, to any human being but to bring him the example of a living Christ. The love of riches has destroyed many: the destruction of friend to friend and brother to brother and sister to sister for the love of money and riches; but saddest of all, the destruction of the soul."

Veronica: Our Lady—oh, Our Lady . . . oh, She's beautiful! She has on a long gown. It's so—the light is so bright, but I know the gown is trimmed in gold all along the edge. But I have never seen Her so young looking. Our Lady says:

"I visited My children at Fatima."

JACINTA PHOTOGRAPH

Veronica: And next to Her there's a little girl. She, she's dressed—she looks like she has a long—oh, she has a long, rugged, very rugged-looking gown on her. It comes down to her feet. And now she's pulling at her stocking; Her stocking seems to be falling down. And now walking towards her is a young boy. He's shorter than she is, but he has sort of a black-looking hat on his head, but it's hanging way over. And she's now—the little girl is doing this. She's trying to tell me. She's writing J-A-C- Oh, I know! Oh, it's Jacinta. And she's talking about the picture, the picture. Yes, she—the Father allowed her to write on the picture. But Jacinta said—and she's standing now next to Our Lady, and she said:

Jacinta: "They did not listen to my words."

Veronica: And Our Lady now, She's moving over to the center of the flagpole. She said:

Our Lady: "Years too late! Years too late! How sad My tears fall upon the world. Years too late!"

Veronica: And Jacinta is now moving over by Our Lady. She looks very small.

Now Michael—I recognize Michael—is coming forward. Michael said that:

"The scale is unbalanced, and the great tribulations are at hand and will increase. Many foolish people have chosen their own death."

Veronica: Our Lady now is moving over to the left side of the flagpole. She's very beautiful. She's dressed—it's all in white, but the whole gown seems to cover Her like a large shawl, all around the outside. And She said:

Our Lady: "I have not come to bring fear to My children, but I have come to prepare you and warn you of what lies ahead if you do not heed My admonitions. One remains upon earth who will attest to the truth of Jacinta. All will come to pass as divested to you. The secret with the Father is unknown even to the highest angels of the choir. Therefore, My children, do not spend your time in speculating on dates, but be prepared. Heaven knows no age as you count your days on earth. Speculation in date is not necessary, for time is endless when you come over the veil.

DEMON FOUR

"Satan has now four major adversaries upon earth. I have given you in the past the direction of his plan. The fourth major adversary is now released from the abyss. Before the coming of My Son in final battle with Michael and all the armies of Heaven, two more will enter upon earth.

"Prepare, My children, for the great trials that are ahead. All who remain of well spirit are not to accept My counsel with fear. But woe to those who do not listen, and harden their hearts and deafen their ears to My counsel! I have come to earth because I am your Mother. And as a Mother I cannot help but fear what will happen to My children without My help. My Son is being recrucified by the children He already sacrificed Himself for in the past. The Father—"

Veronica: "Oh! No! Yes. Oh! Yes."

[Veronica was shown a vision of the punishment to come, and almost fainted from shock.]

WARNINGS FROM ETERNAL FATHER

Our Lady: "The Father wants it to be known at this time that the prayers, the sacrifices of those who love and care have not gone unnoticed. But the scale is falling heavily unbalanced to the left. Therefore, unless man makes a major reversal, he can expect the Ball of Redemption very soon upon him. It will be the manner of cleansing. Fire will claim many, for many will die in the great flame of the Ball of Redemption.

"Very soon you will receive another Warning. The world will call it a major disaster. And after that, the world will not call it a major disturbance of natural tendencies, but they will call it the hand of God!

"My child, the Father is allowing to enter upon man many signs, many prodigies, for one reason in this desperate battle: for the recovery of His children's souls. Satan roams the world; satan roams within the House of My Son. And only you hold the decision for the final outcome of your salvation. Each man will make his own decision; for when you fall, you will have fallen of your own choice. Prayer, sacrifice, penance—this, My children, is not too much to ask of you in the face of what lies ahead of you.

"Your country has received many warnings. Each one will grow more severe until the cleansing is complete. There will be a time when you will feel that all hell roams your earth. Those in the light will be persecuted. Do not expect to go without suffering. But there is one great hope that you must always keep in your heart: that My Son and the Father will be victorious.

"It is and has been from the beginning of the time of your earth, the time that this, these moments on earth of tribulation would approach. The darkness was held back by the prayers and penance of many. And the darkness can still be held back with a major reversal and a turning from the man of sin who is day by day claiming more victims.

"You will continue to pray and make sacrifices for your clergy. They are given many graces by their ordination; but they, too, are under subject to attack, great attack by the adversary, satan. You must pray that they do not fall into darkness, for in this way they will have the opportunity to take many souls with them to hell. Pray a constant vigilance of prayer, now!

"My children, do not become lax and wait for another to sacrifice and do penance. This you must do yourself, and be an apostle, a disciple of My Son. For if you bring back only one to Us, there will be such great rejoicing in Heaven for each that you recover for Us from Lucifer. Penance, sacrifice, My children, I beg of you, for many will be lost to Us in the days ahead. The greatest power given to Me from the Father are your beads of prayer that I gave to you many years ago. Pray, My children, and keep a constant vigilance."

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

Veronica: I see a cave. There's a large hole in the hillside, and it's all dug out, like it's been dug out. It's a cave. And there's an animal; it looks like a donkey. It's tied to a rock at the side of the entrance of the cave. And now I can see inside the cave. And I see Our Lady. And She's sitting on the ground. Our Lady has on a heavy shawl, and She—

I see a man, and he has on a brown gown. And he has a beard. I can look at him. And he's looking over to Our Lady, and he's carrying straw. There's an animal over to the side. It looks like a cow, I guess. It looks like a cow. And then—I know now the man is Saint Joseph. And he's carrying the straw over, and he's laying it down by Our Lady. And She has a little Baby, and He's all wrapped up in this sheeting. And the sheeting looks like muslin. It's a grayish-white, sort of a yellowish, very hard-looking material. And She's smiling, and She's laying this little Baby down. He's wrapped up in this sheeting, on this straw.

And now She's sitting up, and She's smiling. And Joseph—he walks over to Her, and he's giving Her a piece of fish. I know it's fish, but it's very dry-looking. It's about—oh, it's a piece about that long. And Our Lady now is sitting there and She's eating it, but it looks very hard. It looks like it's dried out. And Joseph now, he has—it's a loaf of bread, I guess. But it looks very dark, almost black-looking. And he broke off a piece of it, on a piece of rock. He hit it, so it must be very hard, what he is eating.

And now there's a light. Oh, it's a beautiful light now, lighting up the whole inside of the cave. But it's not coming—there's no candles or anything. But—oh, and behind them, there are two beautiful angels. One of the angels, he has—he's dressed in blue, beautiful—a long, blue gown. And over at the side of him is an angel. I can't see their faces; it's—they're so bright that all I can see are their gowns and the, these wings. I know they have wings, because they're like feathery goose down, reaching down to the ground from their shoulders. And they're standing behind Our Lady. And Our Lady now has looked up to them. And the Baby is looking up to them, also. And the Baby, I can tell from His size, is—I know He was just born. But yet, His face—He looks like, could be—oh, oh, He's now smiling up at the angels. And a man now has come to the door, and he's looking in. And he's saying something about the inn. And Joseph shook his head, no. They would stay there.

Now the man at the door, he doesn't seem to see anything, because—I know he doesn't see anything, because he asked if they wanted light. And Our Lady smiled up at Joseph and Joseph shook his head, no. And so I think the man at the door doesn't even see the light, this beautiful light that's lighting up the whole inside of the cave. I can't understand how he can't see it, it's so bright. Beautiful!

And now the man went outside. And he's got two goats. It looks like a goat he's bringing in, and he's tying it onto a rock that's at the edge of the door. It's very rough inside; it looks like rocks, as though they had cut out some rocks there. And now he's going out, and he's looking up to the sky. And there's a very bright star. There's a beautiful big star, and the rays of the star come all the way down, right to the door of the cave.

THE THREE WISE MEN

Now I'm looking down from the hill, and I see—I see two men walking and another one riding, but he's being—seems to be carried on a board. And they're coming up. And they've got another board they're carrying, and it looks like a box on the board with some kind of a golden cover on it.

And now the two men who are walking are dressed very elegantly, with—they have these velvet robes on. And they're coming to the cave. And they're coming in, and—oh, and they enter the cave and the first two dropped down to their knees. And they're opening the boxes, and Our Lady is looking at them. And they're going—and they're trying to—oh, they are emptying the boxes at the feet of the Baby. And Our Lady smiled and She shook Her head, no. She shook Her head, no. And they put everything—it looked like they were jewels; I can see pearls, and I can see green, glass-like, looks like glass-like stones, and red ones, and—oh, they look very pretty. And Our Lady shook Her head, no. And they put them back in the box. And the man in this very deep burgundy-looking robe, he handed the box back then to the man. And now—I know, I can tell by looking at them that they're kings or something. They, they're very wealthy people.

And now they're backing away without turning their backs. They keep bowing down. And they have—they left something else, another little box. But now they want to light it, and there's smoke coming out of it. I can smell it, like coming out of it, and—but it smells very strange. It's not like perfume. It smells like—I don't know how to explain it—like herbs, like. And then Our Lady allowed that. But I sit there, and it's—the odor of it, it's so strange. It's—oh, I don't know. It's like—I don't know what it is; I never smelled anything like that before. And Our Lady smiled.

And then the men backed off, and one left a little sack. And when it came down—it must have coins or something in it because I can hear it, you know, like, like it was fifty-cent pieces clanging. And Our Lady shook Her head no, no. And the man picked them up and he backed—and the three of them now are going out of the cave. But they haven't turned their back. They keep bowing and bowing. And now Our Lady looked down to Jesus, and She's bending over, and She's smiling.

Now it's getting very, very dark, and I can't see anything anymore.

ABSTINENCE ON CHRISTMAS EVE

And Our Lady now—oh, Our Lady is appearing now outside the door. She's standing, and She's talking about the meat. Before the Feast Day of Her Son, no meat, She says.

Our Lady: "No meat before the Feast Day. It is only a small act of penance."

Veronica: Oh! Our Lady said I was to extend the cross. Oh, Our Lady now has Her—oh, Her beautiful white Rosary. And it has a golden crucifix on it, and Our Lady now is extending the crucifix up. And I know if you have any sacramentals, if you extend them—since She is going to bless the cross, Our Lady will also bless all your sacramentals and any objects of godly nature. Because She has a very large golden crucifix on this white Rosary. And now She's extending it very high, and She's making the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

And now Our Lady is floating—She doesn't walk, She's kind of just floating over to the right side. And She's now blessing everyone on that side with Her golden crucifix. And now She's coming back, and Michael now is joining Her. And they're moving over to the left side of the flagpole here.

And now Our Lady is bending way down. Our Lady is looking down—I don't know. She's looking down now, and She's speaking to somebody over on the left side of the flagpole. There must be somebody here tonight who is very special to Our Lady, because She's speaking to him. I can't hear what She's saying. But now She's standing above him, and She's going to place Her cross above him, and She's making the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And She said:

Our Lady: "Protection, My son, so you do not listen and follow the wrong rule."

Veronica: Oh, and now Our Lady is over to the center of the flagpole. She's just directly behind. Our Lady said:

"Now you will continue with your beads of prayer."

Veronica: . . . said He was going to lift me right up in the chair.

[Pause]

Veronica: Everyone who can, kneel down because Jesus is going to bless all the sacramentals. Jesus is over on the right side of the flagpole. Now—oh, and He, He said—Jesus said to give this to Mr. S. Mr. S. is to send this to his bishop. Oh.

And not only that—oh, I'm almost afraid to tell you, but it's so wonderful! I wanted to get out of my chair, and Jesus said, Jesus said, "Stay in your chair." ¹

1. Veronica was confined to a wheel chair. She suffered from a very painful spinal carcinoma, and at that time she spent most of her time flat on her back in bed. She said with Our Lady's help she was able to sit up and come to the vigil in a wheel chair.

WONDERFUL RIDE

And I went up, up, up in the chair. Oh, I—oh, I wish I could—I asked Jesus to let everybody see the chair going up. And He—I was hoping you could see it, but I was way up in the chair. And I, I held Jesus' hand. And I had a wonderful ride. And I just—the whole chair just floated up, right up past Our Lady. And I asked Jesus, "Please let everyone see this. They'll never believe it." And here I am gliding, and then first where the chair started rolling I thought someone was pushing me back and forth, and when I looked up it was two angels. And I just floated right up and down and I was holding Jesus' hand. And I asked Him if I could get out of my chair and will He cure me like He does the others, and He says, "Not now."

So I was kind of disappointed. I thought, "Gee whiz, if He cured everybody why can't He let me stand up, too?" So He smiled and He said, "Not now." So here I am still here in my chair, but it was wonderful! The whole chair and everything went up, and I was able to hold Jesus' hand. And now He thinks it's quite funny that I'm telling you about it. And He's standing . . . .

Now Jesus wants everyone to raise their sacramentals. Now Jesus is wearing His red—it looks like a dark, almost a burgundy-colored gown. Now He has—He's taking His robe and He's placing it over His right hand now. I guess it looks very heavy. Now He's raising His hand, like this, and He's blessing everyone, but He's like this. He says I've got my fingers backwards. Like that, Jesus says. But He's raising His hand and—oh, He's making the sign of the Trinity, like this.

Now Jesus is going over towards the tree, and He's looking down. And He's blessing everyone on that side. And now Our Lady is behind Him. And Jesus is coming over to the middle of the flagpole, and He's raising His hand. And He's blessing everyone in the sign of the Trinity. And He's smiling, and He—Jesus has such a . . . there's no way I can tell you, when He smiles. It's, it's—oh, I just can't explain it to you. He's so wonderful, you feel so wonderful.

And now Jesus is going over to the left side of the flagpole, and He's looking down now. There's somebody down there. Now I know there must be a priest or someone here tonight, because Our Lady is very, very much interested in someone here who's on the grounds tonight. And She's smiling. She says:

Our Lady: "You are very—"

Veronica: She just turned to me. Our Lady said—She said:

"You are very knowledgeable, My child."

Veronica: I don't know what She means by that; I don't know. But anyway, She's now looking down again, and She's—now Our Lady's with Jesus, and Our Lady turned to Jesus. Now Jesus is standing over—somebody is over here someplace, standing over to the left side of the flagpole. Now Jesus now is blessing also everyone on that side, but now He's looking down upon somebody over there. And I can't turn around. Now also He's—for somebody on the left side of the flagpole, He is giving another special blessing in the sign of the Trinity.

Now Our Lady and Jesus are coming over. Oh. Oh.

"I'd sure like to have another ride."

Oh. Our Lady said: "You'd better pray and stop taking the rides."

Now Our Lady said to continue with the Rosary.

[Pause]

[While reviewing the handwritten notes of the message at the end of the vigil, Veronica added the following comments:]

TRIBULATION

Great tribulations have gone unrecognized as coming from the Father. Well, I think at that time what Our Lady was referring to was the recent earthquake. Scientists claim that it's a disturbance of nature, so they're not recognizing the signs that Jesus and Our Lady are speaking of, and have been speaking of for the last two years. Just like in April, on April 1 when Our Lady said your country will now have a great disaster. If you look at the April 1 message, She talked of the floods coming. And sure enough, two weeks later we had one of the most terrible floods here in this country. But nobody recognized it. I even wondered if they read the message because not much mention was mentioned of the message of April 1 about the coming floods.

ROSARY ABOUT YOUR NECK

You see, satan seeks to take the Rosary from among you. That's why, in all reality, the excuses that man who has fallen into the darkness gives for this and that are not true. They have removed the Rosaries from the habits of the nuns for one reason: out of sight, out of mind. When Our Lady gave the Rosary to Saint Dominic the instructions were that they were to be worn about the waist, so that they're always at hand, so that every time you had a moment for prayer you would have them there.

Now that's why we wear our Rosaries about our necks now, as Our Lady requested. Because the time will come when many of you will flee with only what you have on your back. And it will be of great consolation to be able to reach up and know that you have your Rosary beads with you. Where normally if you carried them in your pocketbook or some place else they will not be with you, because many are going to run with what they have on their backs. I know. I have seen it many times in vision. It is a horrible sight. It is a great comfort to—that's why you must wear the Rosary about your neck. Not a decoration; don't let people who don't understand tell you it's a decoration or you're—it's a desecration. That's not true. Our Lady said it's there for one purpose: so that you have your means of prayer, your beads from Heaven, your pearls of prayer with you at all times.

SPINNING SUN

The next vigil is on the thirtieth. Well, you can come tomorrow. I'll tell you why, because on the feast days of Our Lady many people come, and also we have had—now I don't know if Our Lady promises for tomorrow. We can't be certain, but people did come, when unable to come [for the vigils], on the feast days—we come back and forth; I come up here as often as I can—but the sun usually does spin. Our Lady has the sun spin on the feast days. And everyone here can tell you. We've seen it many, many times, the same as at Fatima. Our Lady has spun the sun, and it's a gorgeous spectacle.

SUNDAY HOLY HOUR

See, Our Lady requested special vigils from one to two on every Sunday. That's for the clergy. We pray for our bishops and our cardinals. Our Lady requested special vigils from one to two on every Sunday for the clergy. We pray for our bishops and our cardinals, for the strengthening of our bishops and cardinals. And that's been going on now for months. Every Sunday from one to two we have a Holy Hour. It usually lasts a little longer than an hour, but we say the Rosary from one to two because Our Lady requested that.

SS. RITA AND DOMINIC

But the feast days, too—oh, I have another thing to tell you. You should come on the feast days because Our Lady is here all day on Her feast days. Oh, yes. We've had people come on the feast days, and miraculous things have happened. We had a nun, a nun—Saint Rita of Cascia appeared, and there are people to attest to that. We were very much shocked. We came on the feast day and Saint Rita of Cascia appeared to Mr. and Mrs. F. They live in Verona, New Jersey. And myself and three little girls—young girls that had hitch-hiked all the way from Michigan to come to the Shrine, they also saw Saint Rita of Cascia.

And that evening I was so anxious, I was so anxious to tell my neighbor and bring her up because Saint Rita was here for hours, at the other side of the flagpole. When we came up again, we just arrived in time—three o'clock in the morning on the feast day—to see Saint Rita like fading away. It was just like evaporating. But then instead, all of a sudden we saw—there's no human way to explain it—this figure coming out. And then I knew later on it was Saint Dominic. And I can give you the name of the people that saw that. My neighbor—her name is Vicky P.—was with me at the time when Saint Dominic appeared, and she almost fainted right on the grass, it was such a shock to her. I thought it was quite funny. [Laughter]

Lady: Veronica, I'm supposed to ask you, has Our Lady ever said anything to you about Garabandal where She appeared?

Veronica: Oh, yes. Yes, I know about Garabandal. It's true. Garabandal is the only one I truly know about, because Our Lady said, "Believe what you see at Garabandal." We must cleanse ourselves of all sin, mortal and venial, and believe what you see at Garabandal.

Rose Notes from Veronica:

The calendar for 1973 has been printed. All will receive a copy of the coming vigils.

More medals of Our Lady of the Roses are being cast to fill the overwhelming requests from the peoples of the world. Praise be to God working through Our beloved Mother, Mary, from Heaven!

Please pray for all departed. They beg our prayers from purgatory.

Veronica wishes at this time to thank all the warm hearts of all Mary workers who supported and prayed for her during her illness and the demise of her father on January 2, 1973. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. [Veronica published the printed copy of this message with the accompaning Rose Notes in 1973, after her father died.]

A blessed New Year to all in the light of God!