In the Gospel today, John the Baptist goes around “proclaiming a baptism of repentance.” He is the “Voice crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.”
What does John the Baptist have to do with preparing for Christmas? During Advent, the Church wants us to focus on the First Coming of Jesus (Christmas) and the Second Coming of Jesus and prepare for these by repenting of our sins (going to Confession).
Jesus wants people to think He will come on the clouds of heaven in their own lifetime so we are vigilant and ready for His Coming. St. Paul and some of the early Christians thought Jesus was going to come in their time. But some Christians even quit their work because they thought it was imminent, but St. Paul told them to go back to work. (1 Thess. 4:11-12)
In 4th century St. Ephrem explains why Jesus wants us to think He coming is soon. He said,“(Jesus) described the signs of His coming…. Therefore, He used these words to increase respect for the signs of His coming, so that from that day forward all generations and ages might think He would come again in their own day.”
With regard to signs, in last week’s Gospel Jesus gave some signs that will precede His Second Coming. Our Lord said, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die in fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.”
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia 9 signs will precede the General Judgment. Not the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The signs in the sun, moon, roaring of the seas, earthquakes, famines, wars and stars falling, etc. is one sign.
2nd sign according St. Matthew, “And this gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come" (Matthew 24:14).
The 3rd sign is the Great Apostasy spoken about by St. Paul in Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Apostasy means many Christians will no longer believe and will give up their faith.
The 4th sign -In Matthew 24:30, “And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then will all tribes of the earth mourn and then they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty.” Jesus told St. Faustina, “There will be a great darkness over the whole earth. Then a great sign of the cross will appear in the sky. From the openings from where the hands and feet of the savior were nailed will come forth great lights..”
The 5th sign- The Reign of the Antichrist will last 3 ½ years. (Rev. 11:2) He will claim to be the messiah. Jews will accept him as such. He will claim to be God, work false miracles, persecute Christians, make Jerusalem the capital of the world, abolish the Mass, set up idols of himself to be adored. No one will be able to buy or sell anything unless they have the mark of the beast on their hand or forehead. (Rev. 13:16-17)
The 6th sign according to the book of Revelation Enoch and Elijah will come down from heaven and perform miracles and battle the Antichrist. (Revelation 11)
The 7th sign is the entire conversion of the Jewish people. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans said, "And so all Israel should be saved.…” (11:25-26)
The 8th sign is the Universal Conflagration. St. Peter said, the entire earth will be “burned by fire.” (2 Peter 3:10-13; 1).
The 9th sign is the trumpet of the resurrection. An angel will blow a trumpet announcing the resurrection of the Dead, then the final judgment. “Then all will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.(Matthew 24:30)
Another sign not mentioned in the Catholic Encyclopedia, but located in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #677, “The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, . . . only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, . . . God’s triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.” The Catholic Church will appear to die in imitation of Jesus, who died on the Cross. But the gates of hell shall not prevail. These nine signs and the sign of the Church’s passover Catholics should believe will happen.
There are two additional events: the illumination of conscience and the three days of darkness, some saints speak about, but they are private revelation, and we are not required to believe.
St. Edmond Campion said, "I pronounce a great day... the Terrible Judge, should reveal all men's consciences and try every man of each kind of religion. This is the day of change." Blessed Anna Maria Taigi said, "A great purification will come upon the world, preceded by an "Illumination of conscience" in which everyone will see themselves as God sees them." If this happens we don’t want to have very many sins on our soul because it will be horrifying to see the consequences of our sins towards God, others and our own soul.
About the three days of darkness, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi said, “There shall come over the whole earth an intense darkness lasting three days and three nights. It will be impossible to use any man-made lighting during this darkness, except blessed candles. All the enemies of the Church, whether known or unknown, will perish over the whole earth during the universal darkness... The air will be infected by demons who will appear under all sorts of hideous forms.”
Jesus also spoke to St. Padre Pio saying, “Keep your windows well covered. Do not look out. Do not go outside the house. Provide for yourself so sufficient food. The powers of nature shall be moved and a rain of fire shall make people tremble with fear. Have courage! I am in the midst of you!” Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. Those who hope in me and believe in my words have nothing to fear because I will not forsake them nor those who spread my message. No harm will come to those who are in the state of grace and who seek my Mother’s protection.”
Could the Second Coming of Jesus be near? Is the Antichrist about to come in the world? Will people be forbidden to buy or sell anything without getting the mark of the beast? Will there soon be a world wide persecution, earthquakes, tidal waves, famines and war? What about the illumination of conscience and the three days of darkness? Will all this happen in our life time?
With regard to the Second Coming of Jesus, St. Ephrem said, “(Jesus) described the signs of His coming…. Therefore, He used these words to increase respect for the signs of His coming, so that from that day forward all generations and ages might think He would come again in their own day.” But he also said, “When the Lord commanded us to be vigilant, He meant vigilance in both parts of man: in the body, against the tendency to sleep; in the soul, against lethargy and timidity. As Scripture says, “Wake up, you just and I have risen, and am still with you; and again, Do not lose heart.”
Jesus wants us to believe these things will happen in our life time, therefore we are to be vigilant and not lose heart. Even if these events occur in our lifetime, we should not be afraid, except for our sins on our soul.
By adoring Jesus every week during your Holy Hour, by confessing your sins monthly, by staying in the state of grace, by daily praying the Rosary and daily reading the Bible, you are being vigilant. You will not lose heart, because your faith and your love of Jesus gives you hope. Jesus is with us so we have nothing to fear.
John the Baptist is a reminder to repent before Christmas and before His Second Coming. And this way, we will be ready for both. In the meantime, we have confidence in God’s mercy and we trust Jesus, our loving God. As St. Padre Pio said, “If we are in the state of grace and seek Mary’s Motherly protection, no harm will come to us.”
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