In 1916, in what is now Slovakia, Matus Lazuta was born into the humblest of circumstances. He endured a poverty-stricken childhood that gave no hint that in later life he would be blessed with a number of miraculous appearances of the Lady of Light.

Matus grew up working the land and tending animals, often sleeping with them in their barn. His education was limited as he was able to go to school only in the winter, and he understood only the very basics of his Catholic faith. As an adult he labored in the lowly position of a woodcutter.

Eventually promoted to the more respected position of forester, one Sunday in the summer of 1958 he was on duty in the forest. While there on Mount Zivcak he stopped to say the Hail Mary at an icon of Mary that had been set up on the mountain. As he finished the Hail Mary, to his great astonishment the Lady of Light herself appeared in a flash of light, floating several feet above ground, dressed in a white robe with a blue sash. Her head was veiled and she held a long rosary in one hand.

The Lady proceeded to show him a living map of the world beneath which was a black board. She presented seven ‘clips’ of successive world events on the map. Whenever he did not understand what the map represented, explanatory words would appear on the board. The Lady herself did not speak.

The first clip showed the countries of the world colored green and yellow, with green symbolizing goodness, and yellow evil. On this first map, green predominated. On the board appeared the words ‘Repent! Pray for priests and the religious! Pray the Rosary.’

The second clip showed the yellow spreading, the green retreating.

The third clip showed that yellow had flooded the entire world. A fiery yellow rain fell from the sky. This map illustrated all the sins of the world, the increase in evil, and the consequences that would follow. The board warned that if people do not ‘amend’, terrible disasters would come, and people would die in many different ways.

The fourth clip showed these disasters in vivid detail. In the ocean near the coast, huge explosions occurred which flooded the earth with deep oceanic matter. Life was extinguished wherever this matter fell on the Earth. Again the board had a warning, if people do not amend, they will die!

The fifth and sixth clips were not revealed to the world by Matus, as he felt that knowledge of them would not be of benefit.

The seventh clip was very different from the preceding six. It revealed that if people lived according to the will of God, the Earth would flourish. The map showed harmony, happiness and peace everywhere. The land was blessed with sunlight and filled with greenery and colorful flowers. The Lady appeared radiating light from above the Earth, her right hand stretched out as though in protection of nations. On the board appeared the words, ‘When you fulfill everything, you will come …’, and Matus understood that if he did everything she asked, Heaven would embrace him.

In all, the Lady of Light appeared six time to Matus in the summer of 1958. At each appearance she showed him a troubled, sinful world urgently in need of the uncompromising justice of God. However, this divine justice could be postponed or even avoided completely if humankind were to return to God.

If humankind did not turn to God, then the Lady showed Matus that two thirds of humanity would perish in a series of great cataclysms. The sun would dim and harvests would fail. There would be earthquakes, enormous floods and land inundated by ocean. The air would teem with demonic, terrifying forms embodying the sins of the world.

Eventually the Earth would grow calm again, but everything would be destroyed, including most life.

The Lady emphasized that prayer is the world’s only salvation, and instructed Matus to bring her messages to the world. This was a request that could only create suffering for Matus, living as he did in a country then under Communist, atheist rule. However, he humbly and courageously accepted his mission.

After these visions, Matus was a changed man. Previously he had created conflict with others, and had been remiss in practicing his Catholic faith. But after the visions, he made peace with all those he’d been in conflict with, and started to attend Mass every day.

Mount Zivcak, where the Lady had appeared to Matus, was also much changed. Six springs appeared on the previously-dry mountain, and the waters from those springs were found to have miraculous healing powers. Many cases of healing, even from terminal disease, were documented in those who drank the water from the springs.

After speaking of the visions he’d received from the Lady of Light, Matus was persecuted for many years by the Communist government of his country. There were 19 investigations or lawsuits filed against him. He was confined to a psychiatric hospital for five years and subjected to innumerable shock treatments and chemical ‘cures’. He lost his sight and all of his teeth. However, even in the face of these torments, he never renounced his mission, and reported that he always felt the Lady supporting him, especially at the most difficult times.

Finally released, he recovered his sight and continued to speak of the visions. Despite ongoing opposition from the Communist government, crowds of pilgrims came from all over the world to the site of the Lady’s appearances, and even though many offered money to Matus, he refused it all, and continued to live a life of poverty as the humble man of simple speech that he had always been. Those who came in contact with him described a certainty and a peace radiating from him as he shared his experiences and his faith with all who would listen.

After the fall of the Communist government in 1989, persecution of Matus and the pilgrims to Mount Zivcak finally stopped. A chapel was built on the mountain as a permanent testament to the Lady’s appearances and her message for us all.

Sources

Turzovka. Colours of the Prophecy (Article)

Visions of Matus Lazut (Article)

Ned Dougherty, Fast Lane to Heaven: A Life-after-Death Journey