Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.
Revelation 11:19-12:1-6

The Ark of the Covenant as described in the Old Testament Book of Exodus was the sanctuary for the Holy of Holies, the tabernacle in which was the dwelling-place of the Lord. In the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse of John, the Ark of the Covenant precedes the "Woman clothed with the sun," as described in the above passage. Just as the Ark of the Covenant was the dwelling-place filled by the presence of the Lord God, the Virgin Mary became the dwelling-place for the Word made Flesh, as described in the Gospel of Luke. Reaffirming the Tradition of the Church, both Pope Pius X in 1904 and Pope Pius XII in 1950 stated that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the "woman clothed with the sun" in Revelation 12:1.

The ending of the twentieth century has witnessed an overwhelming number of reported appearances of Mary, suggesting we are entering the end times prophesied by the Book of Revelation. While public revelation - the Bible - is a matter of faith, one does not have to accept private revelation, such as apparitions. However, one cannot ignore the profound effect of historical apparitions such as Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima. The following is a list of the approved Apparitions of Mary.

APPARITIONS OF MARY
Place	Year
Saragossa, Spain	40
Prouille, France	1214
Mount Carmel, England	1251
Guadalupe, Mexico	1531
Rue de Bac, Paris	1830
La Salette, France	1846
Lourdes, France	1858
Pontmain, France	1871
Knock, Ireland	1879
Fatima, Portugal	1917
Beauraing, Belgium	1932
Banneux, Belgium	1932
Zeitoun, Egypt	1968
Akita, Japan	1973
Betania, Venezuela	1976

Appearances of Mary are still being reported all over the world, such as Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina; Damascus, Syria; and Kibeho, Rwanda. The image of Mary appeared overnight on a side of a bank building in Clearwater, Florida in 1996, and is still there today (see above picture).

While these recent appearances are still under investigation by the Catholic Church, one can hear the common themes that echo through the ages, especially now as we enter the third millennium. This is a time for repentance, prayer, reading Scripture, fasting, and frequent reception of the Sacraments. It is time for us to be examples of love, mercy, and peace, as our modern world continues to fall away from the Ten Commandments of God and the Eight Beatitudes of Jesus.

And may God bless you!


Jesus
Mary
The Bible