33rd Sunday, Year B- End of World & Second Coming of Jesus

 

Is the Second Coming of Jesus near? Are we in the End Times? Cardinal Burke, thinks we are in the End Times. He said, “In the present moment there is confusion and error about the most fundamental teachings of the Church, for example with regard to marriage and the family. For instance, the idea that people who are living in an irregular union could receive the sacraments is a violation of the truth with regard both to the indissolubility of marriage and to the sanctity of the Eucharist. So there is a feeling that in today’s world that is based on secularism with a completely anthropocentric (Man centered) approach, by which we think we can create our own meaning of life and meaning of the family and so on, the Church itself seems to be confused. In that sense one may have the feeling that the Church gives the appearance of being unwilling to obey the mandates of Our Lord. Then perhaps we have arrived at the End Times.”

Today’s Gospel speaks of extraordinary Perturbations of Nature – Nature is perturbed. “And the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven there will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and waves.” (Luke 21)

Fr. P. Huchede, who wrote the book Anti-Christ explains the symbolism of what these mean. He said, “The earth represents the kingdom of Satan. The sun represents the Catholic Church the vehicle of God’s supernatural light. The moon symbolizes lawful civil government, which has as its light a reflection of the sun (the Church). Stars represent bishops of the Church. The fallen stars represent the apostasy of bishops. A diminution of the sun and moon would mean the Church would lose Her influence over the mankind. The government would become agents of the Antichrist and therefore not reflect the truth. pg. 39 Antichrist, Fr. P. Huchede

St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the 1200’s spoke about what the end times would be like, he said, “The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God. Those who preserve in their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics. Choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ Will Send Them Not A True Pastor, But A Destroyer."

According to the prophet Daniel from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament describes how the Holy Mass will be abolished in the future by the Antichrist due to his new religion. He said, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. " (Daniel 12:11)

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich who lived from 1174 to 1824. Notice how she describes two popes living at the same time. She said: "I saw the relationship between the two Popes. I saw how baleful would be the consequences of this false church. I saw it increase in size; heretics of every kind came into the city (of Rome). The local clergy grew lukewarm, and I saw a great darkness. Then, the vision seemed to extend on every side. Whole Catholic communities were being oppressed, harassed, confined, and deprived of their freedom. I saw many churches close down, great miseries everywhere, wars and bloodshed. A wild and ignorant mob took to violent action. But it did not last long." "Once more I saw the Church of Peter was undermined by a plan evolved by the secret sect, while storms were damaging it. But I saw also that help was coming when distress had reached its peak. I saw again the Blessed Virgin ascend on the Church and spread Her mantle [over it]. I saw a Pope who was at once gentle, and very firm… I saw a great renewal, and the Church rose high in the sky." “I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant Church. Everyone was to be admitted in it in order to be united and have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics sects of every description. Such was to be the new Church…But God had other designs…” “I see that when the Second Coming of Christ approaches, a bad priest will do much harm to the Church. When the time of the reign of Antichrist is near, a false religion will appear which will be opposed to the unity of God and His Church. This will cause the greatest schism the world has ever known. The nearer the time of the end, the more the darkness of Satan will spread on earth, the greater will be the number of the children of corruption, and the number of the just will correspondingly diminish…”  “They built a large, singular, extravagant church which was to embrace all creeds with equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, and all denominations, a true communion of the unholy with one shepherd and one flock. There was to be a Pope, a salaried Pope, without possessions. All was made ready, many things finished; but, in place of an altar, were only abomination and desolation.”

Bishop Fulton Sheen in the 1948 in his book Communism and the Conscience of the West spoke about the false church the anti-Christ will set up. “Because his religion will be brotherhood of Man without the fatherhood of God, he will deceive even the elect. He will set up a counter church which will be the ape of the Church, because he, the Devil, is the ape of God. It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content. It will be a mystical body of the Antichrist that will in all externals resemble the mystical body of Christ…”

Some believe this is a description of how Freemasonry will be used to attack the Catholic Church before the 2^nd Coming of Christ.

The Virgin Mary in Akita, Japan said, "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day, recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres. The Church and altars will be vandalized. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”

One of the seers of Garbandal, where Mary is allegedly to have appeared said, “Before the Illumination of Conscience Communism will dominate the world. Communists will take over the world. It will be in every place. Churches will be closed because they will not allow the people to go to the priests or the people to go to Mass. It will be hard for the priests to say Mass. If they find out they are priests they will be persecuted.”

St. Edmond Campion (1540–1581) priest and martyr states: "I pronounce a great day, not where, in any temporal potentate should minister, but where in, 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 (1769–1837): "A great purification will come upon the world, preceded by an "Illumination of conscience" in which everyone will see themselves as God sees them." She also said, “Whole nations will join the Church shortly before the reign of the Antichrist. These conversions will be amazing. Those who survive shall have to conduct themselves well. There shall be innumerable conversions of heretics, who will return to the bosom of the Church; all will note the edifying conduct of their lives, as well as that of other Catholics. Russia, England and China will come into the Church…”

My friends, these prophecies are scary because they reveal a lost of faith and the turmoil that the Church will go through.

However, we should not be afraid, if we have Jesus and if we practice our Catholic faith. Jesus is our hope.

Then it matters not if we go through a persecution or turmoil, and even if the there will be terrible tragedies in the world, because if we have Jesus and if we were to die, what does it matter, because our end goal is heaven and being with Jesus forever.

Everyday, we should practice our faith to be best of our ability and be not afraid. The greatest tragedy that a human being could have, is the loss of heaven and to go to hell forever.

But, we if trust Jesus and trust that all that He has given to us will help us to arrive in heaven safely.

Let us turn to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Hope and Queen of Peace knowing She will keep us close to Her Son, especially if we practice our faith, wear Her scapular, miraculous medal and daily pray Her Rosary.