A Catholic Land

The Secrets of La Salette:

The Secrets of La Salette, given in 1846 in the mountains of La Salette, consist of Melanie's first version of her secret and Maximin's secret, and Melanie's second version of her secret; a far longer secret than that of her first version. The first version of Melanie's secret and Maximin's secret were disclosed in 1851, but only to Pope Pius IX, Melanie stating that she had been told during the apparition not to disclose her secret until 1858.

It should be emphasized that the apparition itself was very highly controversial, many either not believing in it or not believing that it was the Blessed Virgin, including many local clergy. But The Church did approve it as being an apparition of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

With Melanie obviously not wanting to disclose her secret until 1858, something of a dilemma arose when both children (Melanie and Maximin) came under great pressure when, in effect, it became clear, in spite of the efforts of the local Bishop who, after a two year investigation which included a full theological commission, had approved (declared the apparition to be worthy of belief) that formal approval of the apparition could not be given before the secrets had been made known to the Church. It was, apparently, Cardinal de Boland, of the Metropolitan of Lyon, who stated that the contents of the secrets must be made known to the Church before the formal approval could be given. Technically of course the Cardinal had a valid point, and it seems a compromise was reached, Melanie and Maximin would make their secrets known, but only to the Pope. However, with the date of 1858 having been set, and very possibly because she was also very likely fully aware that her secret would cause great controversy, and possibly jeopardize formal approval being given, she wrote only a short and general version (although we do not know for sure, this is probably the most likely explanation as to why she wrote the short version.)

And so the secrets (Maximin's, and Melanie's shortened version) were made known only to Pope Pius IX. This took place in July 1851. Three months later the local Bishop declared its formal approval - in the mountains of La Salette, on 19th September 1851 (the 5th anniversary of the apparition) and when, on the instructions of Pope Pius IX to build a beautiful church there (later raised to a Basilica by Pope Leo XIII) he also laid the foundation stone for a church.

However, in 1858, when Melanie sent her longer version of her secret to Pope Pius IX , no comment was made on it by the Vatican. In 1879 Melanie gained a Bishops Imprimatur for her longer secret (a Bishop's Imprimatur means that nothing has been found that is contrary to faith or morals.) The Imprimatur meant that the secret could not be placed on the Church's Forbidden Index.

However, when commentaries on the secret appeared, the Church (The Holy Office) in 1903 placed the commentaries on the Forbidden Index, this continued and was affirmed again by The Holy Office 1914.

The Secret (Melanie's longer version) disclosed in 1858: the particular focus here is how Paragraphs 11 and 12, accord with the Apocalypse chapter 8 and 9. The world is swarming with apostate angels (a locust swarm) and they have become a flood!

Secret of La Salette; paragraphs 11 and 12 are:

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"In the year 1864, Lucifer with a great number of demons will be unleashed from hell; they will abolish the faith little by little and even in persons consecrated to God; they will blind them in such a way that barring a particular grace these persons will take on the spirit of these bad angels: several religious houses will lose the faith entirely and will lose many souls.. "[Secret:(11)]

The dead and the just will be made to revive [Secret:12]

[That is to say that these dead will take the appearance of just souls who had lived on earth, in order to lead men further astray: these so-called resurrected dead, who will be nothing other than the demon under these appearances, will preach another Gospel contrary to the one of the true Christ Jesus, denying the existence of heaven, or they may also be the souls of the damned. All these souls will appear as if united to their bodies.]

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These words [in brackets] are stated by Melanie Calvert to have been according to the vision which she had during the apparition. (Le Secret De Melanie, p.29-30.)

Note that it is very significant that Melanie included her explanation of the vision that she saw during the apparition (para 11) It is accurate!

And so, warned of in the Secret, is the release of Lucifer (the devil) with a great number of demons from hell (Secret para. 11), affirmed as being in incarnate 'human' form by the vision of the seer whilst receiving the Secret (see Secret: para.12.) The mid-late mid nineteenth century seems very accurate. The date of 1864 is given in the secret.

This is how Para's 11 and 12 accord with chapters in The Apocalypse:

The Apocalypse:

The identity of the fourth horseman (the pale green horse, and his horseman) of the Apocalypse is shown in the Apocalypse as: “his name is Death and hell was following him.” (Apoc: 6:8) and signifying pestilence.

The fall of the apostate angels (one third of the angels fell) affecting all of the earth in a most profound way (Apoc 8&9) with the release of the apostate angels; the “locusts” by the fallen star (Lucifer) himself; his having been “given the key to the bottomless pit” (Apoc: 9:1-4.)

Here is as to how the Secret accords with Apocalypse ch 9:1-4:

In The Apocalypse, St John writes of “the Lamb” opening the fourth seal and of the fourth horse and horseman of The Apocalypse; the pale green horse, as follows:
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And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the
voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come! ”
And I saw, and behold, a pale green horse, and
he who was sitting on it — his name is Death,
and hell was following him....(Apoc; 6:7-8)
_________

Traditional Catholic commmentary on the fourth horseman is as follows:
____

Ver.8. Pale-green horse, i.e., olive-coloured; this horseman symbolizes death, or rather pestilence.....
____

It is what is “following him” that is shown in the Apocalypse; chapters eight and nine, and shown in paragraphs 11 and 12 of The Secret of La Salette.
____

Chapter nine of the Apocalypse begins with St John writing:
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And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I
saw that a star had fallen from heaven upon the
earth, and there was given to him the key of the
bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit,
and there came up smoke out of the pit like the
smoke of a great furness, and the sun and the air
were darkened by the smoke of the pit. And out of
the smoke there came forth locusts upon the earth...
(Apoc. 9:1-3.)
_______

The release of the Locusts thus follows from the Abyss being opened by the fallen star. And just as the fallen star must be an individual; ie a living intelligent being (to have been given the key to open the bottomless pit with) so too the locusts are those whom live in the Abyss (to be released from) and from out of which they come. Locusts (the creature/insect) do not [as such] live in the Abyss, demons do (as do imprisoned human souls.)

Locusts are a descriptive term. Just as 'serpent' or 'snake' is the descriptive term used for Lucifer; the devil, in the garden of Eden. “Locusts upon the earth” means the demons in incarnate; human form. And voluminous. And swarming.

And there is also the following, and which is found in chapter 20 of the Apocalypse, as follows:

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And when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go forth and deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and will gather them together for the battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up over the breadth of the earth and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city....[Apoc. 20:7-8]

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The thousand years is known in Biblical commentary as representing an indeterminable period between Our Lord's glorious resurrection from the dead, and His Second Coming in Judgement. This is long standing Catholic understanding, and found, for example, in the Douey -Rheims Bible (1582)(1899 edition) and also The Knox Bible, 1945 (1963 edition.)

My understanding is that this is also a further showing to St John as to what will happen (the locusts released, as shown in ch.9) and shown again late on, in the Apocalypse.

This is mankind's last times predicament. Apostate angels exist in vast, vast numbers, on all levels of society and in all societal institutions. They are near and far.

We must pray that Our Lord's Second Coming will be soon, as anticipated. For these are ever worsening days for Church and mankind.

For more in The Apocalypse as to the apostate angels on the earth see:

see also:

The Church inadvertently missed the significance of the Secret. The Secret of La Salette gained a Bishop's imprimatur in 1879.

If the Church had recognized the connection with chapters 8 & 9 & 20 of The Apocalypse then all focus of attention as concerns that foretold could concentrate on the Apocalypse to ch 14 v.14 and the Second Coming of The Lord. And for which we must be prepared (as emphasized in the early chapters in the Apocalypse.) For when Our Lord is amongst us again we can ask Him many things. For now humans must plan and prepare for the Lord who will come again in Judgement. And the time is now soon.

This well known picture of Maximin Giraud and Melanie Calvert Mathieu was taken on the first anniversary of the apparition to commemorate it.

Read here as to how the Church deals with Apparitions:

The Basilica at La Salette.