Is this why Mary appeared in Syria years ago—because Christians face annihilation there?
It comes to mind in reading an article about the Syrian Catholic monk-archbishop of Homs, Jacques Mourad, who “has issued an urgent appeal for the future of the Christian presence in Syria amid a situation marked by violence, poverty, and the collapse of institutions.”
The monk is particularly moved by the massacre of Christians in Damascus on June 22 while they were gathered with their brothers and sisters for Sunday Mass at St. Elias Church.
Notes the Catholic site Fides, “He reiterates that ‘Syria as a country is at an end today.’ But he also recognizes that the Church in Syria must nevertheless continue its path and its work for the good of all. And this, he says, is only happening ‘because this is the will of Jesus. Jesus wants His Church to remain in Syria. And the idea of emptying Syria of Christians is certainly not the will of God.'”
It was in the 1980s that Mary appeared to a girl named Myrna Nazzour Al-Akhras in Damascus, warning of difficult times. The girl developed a unique stigmata: “wounds” that wept perfumed oil. Her experiences have been officially accepted.
In 1982 Myrna saw a “wonderful woman” during a sudden mystical experience.
That woman became known as “Our Lady of Soufanieh.” Myrna (allegedly) also experienced words from the Lord. “I heard Creation singing a tune for my heart,” she recollects, these decades later.
The Virgin had messages to pass on, chiefly that Christians should pray for peace, love one another, and pray for the unity of the Christian churches—particularly apt in Syria, where Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Syriac, Maronite, Nestorian and half a dozen others celebrate in different ways and even (in the case of Easter) on different days.
Myrna also quoted the Lord as warning about “a world seduced by materialism, lust, and fame.”
“Do not allow your freedom, your faith, and your will to be taken away,” said an alleged message.
The exudation of oil ended in 2017. But not the messages. Though not voluminous (just thirty-eight were circulated), they have occurred right up to the present. We interviewed Myrna recently. Her messages are more admonishing than apocalyptic [see here].
The situation brings to mind Scripture. “Therefore, her young men will fall in her streets, and all the men of war will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord of hosts in Jeremiah 49. “I will set fire to the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the fortified towers…”
Sin, says that same book, brings “a mound of ruins.” It brings earthquakes [49:21]. It leads to terrorism.
Myrna’s more recent missives bear repeating.
In 2001 (Jesus): “Do not surrender to failure, do not worry about the judgment of others on you, do not defend yourselves and seek only what I have prepared for you. I am the One who takes care of you because you are the work of My hands.”
April 19, 2025: “My beloved ones, why fear and despair? Adorn with patience. Stay firm in hope. And let your hope be in Me. For I am your help. And without Me, life will be hard upon you.
“Do not be troubled, nor anxious about what tomorrow may bring. Rid yourselves of he who leads you into sin. Struggle and break free from your weakness in the face of temptation, for the enemy surrounds you on all sides, and the more difficult is to be enemies of your own souls.
“Do not let Satan influence your faith, your freedom, and your will, lest he gain authority over you. Do not deceive yourselves. Beware of your own selves. Resist the evil within you. I have promised you, and I am faithful to My promises, but are you faithful to the trust I have given you? Are you the ray of light amid the darkness of this life, and for souls who wanted to mend their lives, to draw closer to Me?
“My children, trust in Me.”
[resources: Michael Brown retreat, Wichita, Kansas: signs of times, prophecy, spiritual warfare; he will also appear September 27 at Gospa Missions in Pennsylvania]