Saint John the Baptist

June 8, 1998

Carolyn’s Description:

The Blessed Mother is wearing a gray dress and a long white veil. Her hands are folded near her waist and she has a coral colored rosary draped over her arm. St. John the Baptist is with her.

St. John is wearing a brown robe that is tied at the waist with a cord. He is short and a little stocky. He looks older. He has short, gray-black, very curly hair and a beard and a mustache. He has a staff in his hand and he is standing beside the Blessed Mother looking toward her. She has now extended her arms.

The Blessed Mother’s Words:

My dear little ones. It is good to be with you again in this way. Know that I am with you now as ever and always as your mother. Praise God and thank Him for this gift He has allowed this day, for you have been chosen to receive a great gift. Through His mercy He allows His son, the evangelizer, the baptizer, the one who came before Him to announce His way, to speak to you this day.

Praise God. This is such a gift! I do wish for you to know that I am glad that you have gathered here, that I have called each of you here that you might receive with open ears and open hearts these words. Know that each of these children, each of these little ones who now share in the glory of Christ, was as you are. Learn from them. Allow them to teach you. Hear their words and listen, for they can tell you many things of the goodness of God our father. Know that as always, I extend to you my blessing and my prayers of intercession.

St. John’s Words:

People of God . . . my brothers and sisters in the Lord . . . I come to you with a message of the goodness of our Lord. He is so very good that He created man in His image and placed him upon this earth. He attended to his every need, gave to him all things, and man fell away and walked far from Him. But our Father in heaven, He would not allow this to be so. He created us . . . each of us . . . uniquely like Him, to be with Him, to love Him, to serve Him. And so He promised our forefathers that there would come a savior, one who would take upon himself the sin of mankind, and that through his suffering and death we might be restored to life.

To Abraham, He made the promise that he would be the father of the children of God. To David, that he might be the father of the messiah, that from his lineage this chosen one would come forth into the world. To Mary, our queen, He gave the promise of a new life, a beautiful life growing miraculously within her womb, a life conceived in spirit alone, a life more holy, more pure, than any life that this earth could sustain.

And the Son of God was born into this world to do as the scriptures had prophesied, to grow up in humility, to learn from His creation, to be obedient to His executioners, to shed His blood upon this earth that His very hand molded, to wipe away our sins, and cleanse us and free us. We are wretched creatures without God. He alone makes us beautiful. Within us He places our souls. He offers to us His own life should we wish to take it. He has given us the cleansing waters of our baptism.

Do recall that it was water that poured forth from His heart mingled with His blood. These are the gifts that our savior gives to us: His blood to fill us with life, for blood itself is the very life of man . . . water to wipe away the sin that tarnishes the soul that God has painstakingly created to be beautiful, to be perfect, to be with Him. And so in this great gift we received the very life of God . . . eternal life . . . true immortality . . . should we desire it. And forgiveness . . . perfect forgiveness . . . for the sins of our fathers and our own sin as the waters that poured forth from His heart do cleanse us, should we desire it. And so I advise you, do make it your will to desire Him. A fool would turn away such a gift and yet many in this day do.

Our God . . . the God of Noah, of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob. . . the God of David, the God that helped armies march to great victories, the God that gave to Moses the tablets with the law, that God loves us so very much that He sent His son to die for us. This is a merciful God. This is love. For as Christ Himself has said, “There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for another.” What great love our Lord has for us!

People of God, do extend that same love to Him, for it is all that He desires. It is all that He has wanted. He has given to you all that you need. Could your lives not be more fulfilled? Could you imagine another thing that you have not, that you need? He has given you a beautiful, beautiful life. He has provided food for you and shelter. He has provided for you all things that you need. There are many who are wrapped up in the materialism of this world, who desire this thing or that or another, who need to go there or see this or do this and obtain that, but I tell you . . . you have all that you need within you. You have all that you need from our father.

Water . . . that gift that washes away your sins, that sustains your life, He has provided. Shelter. . . your work that you might provide for your families, none of you have gone without. In your homes you have warmth and comfort and the love of one another, Christian friends to support you, the Church to comfort and console you and welcome you. You have all that you need. The Church is a gift! The sacraments . . . they alone are worth more than anything upon this earth, for even in them He has given you all that you need. He has baptized you to a new life.

Do you understand what it is to be a child of God? Do you know the gift you have been given? You cannot see what we who share in His kingdom can see. What a tremendous thing! He has taken the life from His own heart and placed it in you. He has given you His body as your food and His blood as your drink, His forgiveness when you are weak. He has given you the love of one another. He has given you the priesthood for guidance and consolation. He has given you His own mother that she would intercede for you, that each day she would kneel before the cross and recommend you to Him. He has given all to you. Will you not do the same? Do know that you are blessed. You are so blessed, for not only has He provided all good things for you, but He has given to you such a gift as this . . . the wisdom that one can obtain only once he looks upon the face of the messiah and experiences that love in His embrace. You have been given a gift of wisdom that far surpasses the wisdom of many, many holy people. It is all a gift . . . a gift!

Our God is merciful and He is loving. You should not be in the company of anyone who would tell you otherwise. Do not allow them to slander our God. Know your faith. Let your faith be your rock. As Jesus has built the church upon the rock of Peter, stay true to your church, to the rock of your faith. You know our God is a loving God and a merciful God, and a God of forgiveness and of truth and of life. Should anyone come to tell you that He is not this, but a God of anger and strife and hatred, you will know that this is a falsehood. You must not be persuaded by the times. You must not be persuaded by those around you. You must not be persuaded by your own doubts. You know the truth. You have been given all that you need. You know our Lord. As Christ has said, “His lambs know the shepherd and He knows them.”

Watch for Him. See Him each day in your churches on your altars, in your prayer, in one another. Do not walk blindly past, as so many do, to seek out all that you need, that you want, that you must obtain . . . but look for Him, want Him, desire Him, seek Him out. You will find that He is there waiting for you. A God who has given you so much, to His very life, will never be near to those who do not want Him, for they push Him away. But this same God who has given to you all things will not be far from those who call out to Him. He desires you so very much. You need only call upon Him and He is with you. You need only cry out to Him and you are forgiven. Be at peace and be consoled in this. Find faith in this and new life.

What is all this that you desire here? It is nothing. It passes away. And as my life on this earth passed, so will yours. And all these things that men collect will pass away too, all but faith, all but love. In all things, in all situations, you always have faith. You always have the love of God. And because you are a Christian and you know your Lord and He knows you, you have hope! You have a hope in the resurrection, in the day when Christ will return and resurrect all of those who have suffered here to new life, in the day of your own death when you meet your Lord and you are welcomed into eternal life, into the banquet hall that He has prepared for you. We are all called to die many times . . . to ourselves, to our desires, to our needs. But for as many deaths as we experience, there are as many “lifes” . . . new lifes . . . conversion, hope, peace, reconciliation, life in God. This is what feeds your soul! This is what God has provided for you. God is good. You are all blessed, as all of His children are.

Take to heart these things and remember them always, especially in the times of greatest struggle and strife. Allow no one to tell you anything different than that you are loved more than all things, that you have hope even when everything else is gone, that your faith is strong and real and alive in you because Christ is alive in you every day at every mass when you receive Him. You need fear nothing, for with God at your side, walking always behind you and before you, leading you to your heavenly home, you cannot go astray. Remain with Him. Be vigilant. Be constant. Call out to Him. He has given you His mother as a guide, His son as a messiah, and His life for all eternity. Be at peace. Live your lives for Him. Offer to Him all things. See Him. Seek Him out. Desire Him. And with grateful hearts praise Him, for He is good.

The Blessed Mother’s Words:

My dear ones. I do pray that you would always have peace in your homes and in your hearts and among one another. Continue to pray fervently for your Christian brothers and sisters and those who are in purgatory, for my young people and my priests, for those who are desperately in need of conversion. Continue to pray. The benefits, the graces of prayer, you cannot comprehend. I thank you for gathering this night, for hearing me, for hearing the one who I have brought to you. Do praise God and thank Him. Do offer your love to Him in service each day. I bless you in the name of the Father the Son and the Spirit who dwells within us.