SERIES: JANUS: The Return Of The "God" Of New Beginnings
Part 7: JANUS: The God Of Harbors And Inventor Of Navigation
By Ed Tarkowski

JANUS: The "God" Of Harbors And Navigation

One symbol that applies to both this end-time pope and Janus is the
prophecy of the Catholic St. John Bosco. Of Janus, it is said,

"Being god of the gates he was naturally the god of departure and return
and, by extension, the god of all means of communication. Under the name
Portunus he was the god of harbours; and since travel can be either by land
or sea, he was supposed to have invented navigation" (GODS OF THE STATE:
PRINCIPAL DIVINITIES, Janus, New Larousse Encyclopedia Of Mythology,
Introduction By Robert Graves, Roman, pp. 200-202).

"We posses no statue or bust of Janus, but on coins his effigies are
numerous. The oldest bronze Romans coins had the effigy of Janus on one
side and THE PROW OF A BOAT on the reverse" (Ev Butterworth, Rome Around,
http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/HAA/Events/EH337.html; caps mine).

This is an important statement regarding Janus: he was the inventor of
navigation. In 1862, the Catholic mystic St. John Bosco prophecied about a
future pope who, in the end-times, would navigate and anchor the Church to
a place between two pillars. Let's look at this prophecy:

"St. John Bosco revealed the following mysterious dream that he had in 1862:

"Imagine yourself to be with me on the seashore, or better, on an isolated
rock and not to see any patch of land other than that under your feet. On
the whole of that vast sheet of water you see an innumerable fleet of ships
in battle array. The prows of the ships are formed into sharp, spear-like
points so that wherever they are thrust they pierce and completely destroy.
These ships are armed with cannons, with lots of rifles, with incendiary
materials, with other firearms of all kinds, and also with books, and
advance against a ship very much bigger and higher than themselves and try
to dash against it with the prows or burn it or in some way to do it every
possible harm.

"As escorts to that majestic fully equipped ship, there are many smaller
ships, which receive commands by signal from it and carry out movements to
defend themselves from the opposing fleet. In the midst of the immense
expanse of sea, two mighty columns of great height arise a little distance
the one from the other. On the top of one, there is the statue of the
Immaculate Virgin, from whose feet hangs a large placard with this
inscription: Auxilium Christianorum - 'Help of Christians'; on the other,
which is much higher and bigger, stands a Host of great size proportionate
to the column and beneath is another placard with the words: Salus
Credentium - Salvation of the Faithful.

"The supreme commander of the big ship is the Sovereign Pontiff. He, seeing
the fury of the enemies and the evils among which his faithful find
themselves, determines to summon around himself the captains of the smaller
ships to hold a council and decide what is to be done. All the captains
come aboard and gather around the Pope. They hold a meeting, but meantime
the wind and the waves gather in storm, so they are sent back to control
their own ships. There comes a short lull; for a second time the Pope
gathers the captains around him, while the flag-ship goes on its course.
But the frightful storm returns. The Pope stands at the helm and all his
energies are directed to steering the ship towards those two columns from
whose summits hang many anchors and strong hooks linked to chains.

"All the enemy ships move to attack it, and they try in every way to stop
it and to sink it: some with books and writings or inflammable materials,
of which they are full; others with firearms, with rifles and with rams.
The battle rages ever more relentlessly. The enemy prows thrust violently,
but their efforts and impact prove useless. They make attempts in vain and
waste all their labor and ammunition; the big ship goes safely and smoothly
on its way. Sometimes it happens that, struck by formidable blows, it gets
large, deep gaps in its sides; but no sooner is the harm done that a gentle
breeze blows from the two columns and the cracks close up and the gaps are
stopped immediately.

"Meanwhile, the guns of the assailants are blown up, the rifles and other
arms and prows are broken; many ships are shattered and sink into the sea.
Then, the frenzied enemies strive to fight hand to hand, with fists, with
blows, with blasphemy and with curses.

"Suddenly the Pope falls gravely wounded. Immediately, those who are with
him run to help him and they lift him up. A second time the Pope is struck,
he falls again and dies. A shout of victory and joy rings out amongst the
enemies; from their ships an unspeakable mockery arises.

"But hardly is the Pontiff dead than another takes his place. The pilots,
having met together, have elected the Pope so promptly that the news of the
death of the Pope coincides with the news of the election of the successor.
The adversaries begin to lose courage.

"The new Pope, putting the enemy to rout and overcoming every obstacle,
guides the ship right up to the two columns and comes to rest between them;
he makes it fast with a light chain that hangs from the bow to an anchor of
the column on which stands the Host; and with another light chain which
hangs from the stern, he fastens it at the opposite end to another anchor
hanging from the column on which stands the Immaculate Virgin.

"At this point, a great convulsion takes place. All the ships that until
then had fought against the Pope's ship are scattered; they flee away,
collide and break to pieces one against another. Some sink and try to sink
others. Several small ships that had fought gallantly for the Pope race to
be the first to bind themselves to those two columns. Many other ships,
having retreated through fear of the battle, cautiously watch from far
away; the wrecks of the broken ships having been scattered in the
whirlpools of the sea, they in their turn sail in good earnest to those two
columns, and having reached them, they make themselves fast to the hooks
hanging down from them and there they remain safe, together with the
principal ship, on which is the Pope. Over the sea there reigns a great
calm." --taken from Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco : The Apostle of Youth
by St. John Bosco, J. Bacchiarello (Compiler)
(http://www.albertusmagnus.org/faculty/junjulas/bosco.html).

The following quote summarizes this vision by St. John Bosco:

"There will be chaos in the Church. Tranquility will not return until the
Pope succeeds in anchoring the boat of Peter between the twin pillars of
Eucharistic Devotion and Devotion to Our Lady. This will come about one
year before the end of the century - Saint John Bosco" (Our Lady of the
Roses, http://members.tripod.com/~michele_3/).

John Bosco's vision appears to be well on its way to fulfillment through
the efforts of the current Pope and the spirit of "Mary." "Marian"
devotion, visions, apparitions, prophecies and miracles are flourishing and
increasing today beyond belief. Has the Pope "anchored" the Church to the
pillar of "Mary"? Yes, and in an unbelievable manner, consecrating all to her.

Pope John Paul II has asked Mary "to prepare our hearts for a true
conversion." His hope of seeing such a conversion is based on his various
acts of consecrating all things to her. Following is a string of quotes
that reveal how thoroughly indeed the pope has carried out his acts of
consecration to Mary, in order that "she" might finally bring peace to this
world. Notice, in the first quote, the reference to crossing the threshold
of hope and then placing this hope in "Mary":

HIS PAPACY: In a "written interview" ("The Mother Of God") with Vittorio
Messori concerning the pope's book, "Crossing The Threshold Of Hope,"
Messori says, "The renewal of Marian theology and devotion - in continuity
with Catholic tradition - is another distinctive characteristic of the
teaching and pastoral activity of John Paul II. Totus Tuus ('I am
completely yours, O Mary') is the motto [he] chose for [his] papacy. . . ."
"On October 22, 1978, when I inherited the Ministry of Peter in Rome, more
than anything else, it was this experience and devotion to Mary in my
native land which I carried with me" (Pope John Paul II, Messori interview).

HIMSELF AND THE CHURCH: In October, 1996, Pope John Paul II was in the
Gemello Polyclinic for an appendectomy, and at that time renewed his
consecration to Mary: ". . . . I entrust the Church and myself as well to
(Mary). . . ."

HIS MINISTRY AND THE CHURCH: "May the Holy Virgin receive the renewed offer
of myself - Totus tuus ego sum (I am all yours) - and watch over my
ministry and the Church with care. . . ." (parenthesis in the original;
Vatican City, Oct 13, 1996 [VIS], Pope Prays Angelus From "Vatican Three").

HIS BISHOPS AND DIOCESES: "On June 13, 1994, two months before Our Lady's
call to be united with her in prayer for the pope 'whom I [Mary] have
chosen for these times,' Bishop Paolo Hnilica sent a 'heartfelt appeal' to
Mary's children throughout the world: 'Today we are convinced and we thank
God that this position of Our Lady is fully recognized by our beloved Holy
Father. But we ought to pray so that Mary's role can be fully communicated
and accepted by all the successors of the apostles. We pray that each
bishop can have in his heart and so communicate to his diocese that same
intensity of consecration to Mary that the Vicar of Christ, our Father and
Brother in faith, personally lives as "Totus Tuus"'" (Bishop Paolo Maria
Hnilica, S.J., "United For The Triumph Of The Immaculate Heart [Of Mary]").

HIS PRIESTS: "Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe said that beginning this year
there would be meetings of the world's priests in preparation for the
Jubilee 2000. In 1996 one will be held in Fatima June 17-21; in 1997 in
Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast; 1998 at the Shrine of Guadalupe in Mexico; 1999
in Jerusalem and 2000 in Rome for the Jubilee of all priests with the Holy
Father" (VIS, March 21, 1996).

During the meeting in Fatima, the Pope sent a letter of encouragement to
his priests in which he "[underlined] the importance of this event . . .
[and invited] priests to renew their personal consecration to the Heart of
Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As a sign of his closeness, John
Paul II sent a rosary to each priest" (Vatican City, June 18, 1996 VIS).

PARISHES, FAMILIES, DIOCESES: The pope prayed that Mary would "'visit'...as
a 'pilgrim of faith' [in the Fatima Pilgrim statues] each and every one of
the dioceses, parishes, ecclesial communities and families of America...May
she favor the unity of the Church by bringing together, as in a new
Pentecost, those who believe in Jesus Christ and those who need to be
renewed by the Spirit" (VIS, February 11, 1996).

THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD: In every part of the world, individuals, homes,
parishes, dioceses, even entire countries have been consecrated to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 1981, John Haffert reminded the readers of
Soul magazine that three modern popes have called for a universal
consecration to Mary, including Pope John Paul II: "And now John Paul II
has repeatedly spoken of the importance of consecration to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, and in each country where he has traveled he has repeated
the Act of Consecration" (An Historic Parish Event, May-June 1981).

There doesn't seem to be an area or people which the Pope has not
consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Why? Because Pope John Paul II
is looking to Mary for "a New Advent" in the year 2000 which will bring
about a rebirth of humanity. In a letter entitled "The Coming of the Third
Millennium: Preparation for the Jubilee of the Year 2000," John Paul writes,

"Since the publication of the very first document of my pontificate I have
spoken explicitly of the Great Jubilee, suggesting that the time leading up
to it be lived as 'a new Advent.' This theme has since reappeared many
times, and was dwelt upon at length in the encyclical Dominum et
Vivificantem. In fact, preparing for the year 2000 has become as it were a
hermeneutical key of my pontificate" (Article 23, released on November 10,
1994).

And in his encyclical, Redemptoris Missio, Pope John Paul II said, "Mary .
. . should inspire all who cooperate in the Church's apostolic mission for
the REBIRTH OF HUMANITY. . . ."

We are not just heading for a celebration of Jesus' 2000th birthday, but
for a New Advent, a "rebirth of humanity," and the spirit of Mary will be
the one who will usher it in. As the Pope has stated,

"The mother of fairest love, will be for Christians on the way to the Great
Jubilee of the third millennium the star which safely guides their steps to
the Lord" (Pope John Paul II, As The Third Millennium Draws Near).

Furthermore, the Pope has been able to negotiate a global communion not
only ceremonially, but of the heart as well, within the churches of the
world for the year 2000 celebrations:

"We can now ask how much further we must travel until that blessed day when
full unity in faith will be attained and we can celebrate together in peace
the Holy Eucharist of the Lord. The greater mutual understanding and the
doctrinal convergences already achieved between us, which have resulted in
an affective and effective growth of communion, cannot suffice for the
conscience of Christians who profess that the Church is one, holy, catholic
and apostolic. The ultimate goal of the ecumenical movement is to
re-establish full visible unity among all the baptized" (That They May Be One,
Ut Unum Sint, Encyclical of Pope John Paul II promulgated on May 25, 1995.
http://listserv.american.edu/catholic/church/papal/jp.ii/jp2utunu.html).

On Christmas Eve, 1999, Pope John Paul II will open the Holy Door with the
hope that this symbolic act will bring a new unity in the religious world
in the new millennium. As noted before, it was prophesied long ago that a
future Pontiff would receive the keys to this door to usher in the
beginning of a global church.

Janus, the god of navigation, of harbors, of new beginnings, of youth, of
communication, a god with a priesthood, seems to be very present in the
activities being pursued for the year 2000.

Continued in Part 8.