Mary’s Call to Prayer
The Mother of Jesus Speaks
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Chapter 1
Life, After This Life
“Our Lady [Mary] gave a great gift to me, but also a great gift to the world, because all of us ask ourselves, is there life after this life. I’m standing here before all of you as a living witness, and I can tell you, there is a life after this life; because on that day in May [1985] I was able to see my late mother. I was able to give her a hug, and my mother told me, my child I am proud of you.”
Visionary Ivanka Ivankovic is from Medjugorje (pronounced Med-u-gory) in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina (part of the former Yugoslavia). She spoke about meeting loved ones in the after-life. Ivanka is one of six visionaries in Medjugorje who meets regularly and speaks with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
When Mary appears, she comes as a supernatural apparition and often meets with all six visionaries together. However, there are times when Mary meets individually with each visionary. Mary communicates messages from Heaven and her Son, Jesus, to the world through these six visionaries.
In her messages, Mary literally refers to living people on earth as “travelers”. They are traveling on a journey in transition from this world of reality to the eternal spiritual world. Mary told Ivanka, “Do not forget that you are travelers on the way to eternity.” Because time on earth is so short, do not bind yourselves to material things, but to God. Your life is as passing as a flower.
Mary said, “You go to Heaven in full conscience: that which you have now. In the moment of death, you are conscious of the separation of the body and soul. It is false to teach people that you are reborn many times and that you pass to different bodies. One is born only once. The body, drawn from earth, decomposes after death; it never comes back to life again. Man receives a transfigured body.”
Heaven and Hell Really Do Exist
In the ongoing apparitions with the Medjugorje visionaries, Mary is often sorrowful, sometimes crying. She knows in her heart what happens to the souls of atheists if they do not reconcile with God. They end up in the fires of Hell for eternity. Mary often appears on earth to communicate messages specifically to atheists. She requests prayer from the faithful for those who do not believe in God. Mary desperately wants atheists to convert before it is too late.
Marija Pavlovic is another Medjugorje visionary. Mary told Marija that there are many people who do not believe there is a Heaven or Hell. It is most important for them to understand that Heaven and Hell truly exist. Life on earth passes like a flower. Eternal life does not pass, it is forever. Mary urges us to think more about the spiritual life and of paradise while on earth.
A Transition from Time to Eternity
Mary said her Son, as God, looks “above” time. However, Mary, with help from her Son, can see “in” time. When people pass from “life on earth” to “life in eternity”, they pass from “time” to “eternity”.
Earthly life is scheduled. There is an end point to life, a certain number of years. There is a time to be a child after birth. Then there is time for young adulthood, followed by the working years. Retirement and aging are normally the final stages of life. It seems that time passes more quickly the older you are.
Time is used to segment and organize different periods of earthly life to help us manage better. It is beneficial only because there is a finite life span. In eternity, we live forever. We do not age. So, there is no need or benefit to tracking time.
In the moment of death, people transition from “time” to “eternity”. How people live during time determines where they spend eternity, either in Heaven or in Hell.
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About the Book
Over multiple centuries, visionaries have reported seeing and speaking with the apparition of Mary, mother of Jesus. Nearly all of these apparition events include evidence of other miracles. Within the apparitions, Mary’s primary message is intended for all Christians to hear: the time to pray more is now.
In an insightful spiritual discussion enhanced by biblical references, John Smatlak relies on the voice of Mary to directly answer many of the common questions asked by Christians such as what is important to gain eternal life and what is not? What behaviors cause a person to go to hell? Can prayer prevent war? Do we keep our earthly bodies in the afterlife? Throughout the presentation, Mary communicates clear expectations for Christians while providing a better understanding of Jesus, herself, and other supernatural beings. In perfect alignment with the Bible and Jesus, Mary expresses her deep love for people, warns of dire future events on earth, and explains how to either mitigate or avoid these events with prayer.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a valuable resource for Christians that provides twentieth century answers from heaven to many common questions while addressing the need for prayer.
About the Author
John D. Smatlak earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering at Penn State University and was an officer in a Fortune 500 company. Raised Protestant Fundamentalist, he married a Catholic and together, they raised two children. Today, Smatlak is retired and lives with his wife in Richmond, Virginia. This is his second book.