Promises, promises

For the last several years I have spread the word about Our Lady of Kibeho and everywhere I go, people ask why they have never heard of Kibeho before. Yet Kibeho remains not well-known.

Most Catholics know about Our Lady of Fatima, where Mary appeared 6 times over the course of 6 months. She performed a celestial miracle and warned people about war. She also predicted the timing of the deaths of all three visionaries.

To put things in perspective, consider Kibeho in those terms. In Kibeho, Mary appeared hundreds of times for several years. She performed multiple celestial miracles of both the sun and stars. She gave a warning for the whole world about genocide. She predicted the death and resurrection of three visionaries.

Recently it occurred to me that there is another distinction about Kibeho by comparison to Fatima: promises.

Mary had given promises for those who recite the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, just as she had given seven promises for those who recite the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.

But in Kibeho, Mary gave additional promises for those who pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.

The original seven promises, given to St. Bridget of Sweden in the 14th century are:

1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be enlightened about the divine Mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6. I will visibly assist them at the moment of their death—they will see the face of their Mother.
7. I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who promote this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness.

But in Kibeho, she gave five more promises:

* The hardest hearts will change.
* They shall be freed from obsessions and addictions.
* They will find the strength to repent & convert their hearts.
* They will obtain an understanding of the weaknesses that lead them to sin.
* Praying it from the heart, they will obtain whatever they ask.

What does this mean?

It means that Mary really, really, really wants us to pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary!

Let's pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary together, and let's share it with others. 

Here are two separate reflections for you when you pray it:

Seven Sorrows and the Eucharist

Spiritual Works of Mercy