God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. ... God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own [eternal] nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.

– The Book of Wisdom, 1:13; 2:23-24

FOR online followers of Catholic visionaries steeped in recent world war warnings, the June 30 Mass readings for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, excerpted above, offer sorely needed comfort. Besides the foregoing declaration that God upholds life, the Responsorial Psalm 30 (Ps 30:2, 4–6, 11–13) praises divine rescue.

The Gospel Acclamation from St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy (2 Tim 1:10) assures further: "Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel." And the Gospel of St. Mark (Mk 5:21–43) recounts how our Lord healed the bleeding woman touching his garment and raised the synagogue official Jairus' deceased daughter.

Prayers to mitigate, not stop, war

Even believers may be dismayed, however, that in the Mass passages, God brings rescue and resurrection but still allows death, borne of our transgressions since Adam and Eve. Indeed, Wisdom verses right before the first reading text admonish: "Do not court death by your erring way of life, or draw to yourself destruction by the works of your hands" (Wis 1:12).

Tragically, that's what humanity has brought on. Our leaders, nations and enterprises have unleashed and ridden astride the Four Horsemen in the Book of Revelation or Apocalypse (Rev 6:1–8), symbolizing conquering powers, devastating armaments, profiteering commerce, and climate and contagion calamities triggered, in large part, by our abuse of God's creation.

Humankind has enthroned throughout history imperial powers seeking to dethrone the Almighty. Our governments bankroll the global arms race with $2.5 trillion in unprecedented and fast-rising annual military spending.

Enjoying our adulation and emulation are the record 2,781 billionaires on the planet owning an all-time-high $14 trillion in assets — $2 trillion more than last year — even as hunger threatens 900 million souls every moment. As seen in extreme weather and widespread diseases this century, environmental excesses decimate, particularly the poor.

Plainly, global realities and devout faith give reason to heed urgent warnings attributed to the Virgin Mary on YouTube channels known for Catholic prophecies.

Speaking to Marian apparitions scholar Xavier Reyes-Ayral, seer Fr. Michel Rodrigue distraughtly relayed on June 15 what the Montreal-based priest said were divine portents of a third world war "instigated" by France. Fr. Rodrigue, who lost some credibility last year after reportedly predicting Pope Francis' death, added that prayers could mitigate, but not stop, global hostilities.

Also on June 15, visionary Marija Pavlovic of the Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina — which is still undergoing Vatican validation — related that "Gospa," or Our Lady, instructed a nine-day Rosary novena for peace. It was from June 16 to 24 at 6.30 p.m. on Apparition Hill, where Mary reportedly first appeared to six Croat teenagers on June 24, 1981.

Notable, too, is a June 13 statement from another reputed visionary, Costa Rican mystic, wife and mother Luz de Maria de Bonilla, who bears the stigmata or wounds of Christ. Cited by columnist Ding Cervantes, Argentina-based Bonilla quoted Mary as saying in part: "You should pray, my children, pray for those who are going to start the Third World War."

Devotion for peace and salvation

Will this triple warning come true? In the Biblical story of Jonah, his preaching of destruction in three days led the ancient city of Nineveh to repentance and penance, averting chastisement. Mary, too, repeatedly declared that prayer and contrition could forestall punishment.

Most famously, Our Lady of Fatima in the Vatican-approved 1917 Portugal apparitions conveyed divine instructions to prevent "a greater conflict" than the First World War: the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart by the Pope and all his fellow bishops and the Five First Saturdays devotion. Those prayers would also stanch the worldwide spread of "Russia's errors," including repression, religious persecution and abortion.

Sadly, consecration was not done, and we had the Second World War and global communism. But papal consecrations did stop world war in the 1940s, 1950s and 1980s ("Will there be world war? Not this year, we pray," https://tinyurl.com/4c99syu2). They had also split Marxist behemoths Moscow and Beijing since the 1950s and eventually collapsed Soviet communism in 1990, spurring Christianity's revival in Russia.

We pray that Pope Francis' consecration on the March 25 Annunciation feast in 2022, joined by thousands of bishops worldwide — most compliant with Fatima instructions — also halts global conflict.

America pushed Ukraine to scrap a March 2022 peace deal and keep fighting. But now, Washington is war-wary with reduced North Atlantic Treaty Organization arms due to massive Ukraine aid, the threat of major hostilities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and US elections.

Still, conquering, warmongering powers don't stop. After the Soviet collapse, the West could have forged a multipolar global order for harmony among power blocs. Instead, it expanded its might, especially toward Russia and China, leading to today's atomic-charged faceoffs.

Hence, we must pray even more fervently — especially the Five First Saturdays devotion instructed by God through Our Lady of Fatima, not only for peace but also for salvation. Fatima visionary Lucia dos Santos said in 1939: "Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart."

Mary herself told Lucia in 1925: ''Announce in My name that I promise to assist at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."

Just five consecutive First Saturday prayers to help obtain world peace and your eternal salvation. You can find instructions here: https://tinyurl.com/yckdpw2c. Start on July 6.