Is the idea that the Chastisement is always 6 months to 5 years (as, for some people, it has been or seems to have been for the last 50-60 years, without coming to pass) away rather than the Catholic Evangelist mentality of "let's win the World for Jesus and Mary, one Soul and one Family reached at a time" harmful to the Church? I follow Private Revelations too, but I think too much emphasis on Private Revelation - especially dubious, new, and unapproved ones - can be harmful to the Church's Mission to Evangelize, Grow and Win Souls. Thoughts? God Bless.
If one's eye follows an eschatological bent, may it create not a calculating mind, but a great boldness to share the Truth and Love of Christ with others!
YES. I keep thinking of the line from one of the psalms--"Oh God such matters are too wonderful for me" In other words above my pay grade.
Yes. That's why with all the false apparitions you typically see "this horrible thing is coming," and "get ready for this terrible thing," whereas true apparitions are very focused on repentance, with conditional prophecies. Believing that the world's only hope is mass punishment, and that we "faithful remnant" are going to be safely tucked away into "refuges," doesn't give much incentive to lay our lives down for the saving of souls and reparation for the offenses against God.
I am not sure what percentage of Catholics are overly vested in private revelation. So, I don't know if it is a problem. Private revelation typically has urgent calls to repentance, which I think is always needed. I don't see private revelation and evangelization as mutually exclusive. Simply different and sometimes the same, because private revelation can urge evangelization.
Unfortunately, the YouTube venue is one of such intense competition for attention, sensationalism attracts itchy ears.
Excellent observations. How are refuges any different than rapture. Both miss the point I think. The centuries show us that purification means suffering and even martyrdom. "No free lunch" as we say around here. Better advice would be for every day to be faithful and to pray for sinners. Make reparation. Trust in God. Do right. And dont give into curiosity.
We are living in a chastisement, a spiritual chastisement that is a million times worse than any physical chastisement. Unlike Nineveh, the last few generations of the western world does not tolerate prophets or being told that Christ is Lord, their hearts are hardened by materialism, hedonism, deviancy and debauchery. Blinded by trinkets and baubles. Western Europe is effectively pagan territory; apostate pagans are worse than pre Christian pagans. Romans 1 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
We ought to pray for the repentance & conversion of sinners, but God & His Mother warned us about chastisement. I do think God has favour over the faithful & we will be tucked away in the refuges. It's His promise to us. I have been thru 11 years of this nightmare with zero family members that are obedient to God, not even one I can say who is living cares about God, I have been all alone in my Faith & as a single person. I have two Christian friends, the rest are agnostic so I'm very much alone in my Faith with no one who understands. I pray for their conversion every day, but ultimately if they don't want God even God respects their free will. God is a God who punishes & rewards. He is merciful, but ppl have to want a full conversion as well. It may be once it's time to go to the refuges those that don't go get a foretaste of hell - we don't know, but we also can't say God hasn't given them enough time. They defo see God's face every day so it's spiritual rebellion, they want to rebel against their Creator. We can't do anything about that but pray. I don't think God just rewards despite evil & I don't think you mean that either, but we also have to put in the hard work for our Faith. It's no easy task, we suffer for obedience to God - it's blood, sweat & tears all the way to our grave. God is absolutely going to reward our efforts & that will come at the refuges. For the faithful, it will be our foretaste of Heaven. I don't see why God should go 'Easy' on ppl who are rebelling against Him & delighting in wickedness. Covid has already happened, there's been soooooo much time already. Luckily, He is more patient than I'll ever be.
One thing I notice is a great difference in the attitude or spirituality between Traditional and Novus Ordo Catholicism . I believe Traditionalists are much , much more interested in Private Revelation and in Prophecy than others. Why might that be? I think modern Catholicism tends to be much closer to the Spirit of the World which is essentially Progressive/ Liberal and supposes that things are getting Progressively getting better and better. The idea that a Chastisement is here or on the way sinks that idea. Which is why Pope Leo complained recently about , 'Doom sayers'. We see this very much in the Old Testament. Israel strayed and got with the Spirit of the Times of the pagan World around them. God raised up Prophets (Doom sayers) who warned that the bubble was about to burst. Times change and times remain the same.
Good points, I am surprised we haven't been entirely wiped out yet. Those prophets to whom God gives warnings are often wounded for the rest of their lives too. Not because God willed it, but because when people become sinful, God raises up good people who warn everyone. Those same people then get treated like trash and then have to watch everything go down in flames. Noah became a drunk, Jeremiah I am sure had issues, Ezekiel and Elijah too. Jesus and Mary probably cry daily. Nothing quite like watching people slowly destroy their eternity to mess up their sense of well-being.
I think that a constant fear of punishment, especially to children, can be frightening and dangerous. In America, the “rapture” paranoia of the 80s and 90s drove people to near insanity. To me, focusing on chastisement isn’t what we should be doing with Our Lady’s messages. The mystical writings of the saints almost never mention a chastisement (a lot of supposed prophecies attributed to saints are dubious at best). It isn’t really until La Salette, Fatima, Garabandal, Medjugorje, etc. that we see a chastisement on the horizon. But when we look at the messages, it’s not as if they are constantly threatening. Rather, Heaven tells us what to do in most messages and only speaks of chastisements in secrets. My personal opinion is that we should focus on the Warning, Miracle, and the positive things like the conversion of most of the world and a period of peace rather than being anxious over chastisement. Whatever the matter, the end of our world (our deaths) may come before any of these predicted events. We should rather spend our energy on individual sanctity.
Agreed, we can become more powerful than we know by the Grace of God. Lights to Shine in the darkness.
Jesus many times reminded His Apostles and Disciples many, many times that the end of His Ministry would end on the Cross, in a horrible death and with what seemed like a horrible defeat. Not only Jesus but the Prophets too pointed to this. Why did Jesus talk of His Death? Not to be a doomsayer or to be negative but so that folks might be prepared for what was to come. Just as He did when He talked of the Fall of Jerusalem. Shortly before His death we had the Transfiguration again a preparation for what was to follow. In our own days heaven sends Mary as Queen of Prophets to indicate our own Cross which is to follow. Also many, many Prophets our Catholic saints and mystics to indicate the same. Such are not a negative but a great blessing and gift. Forewarned is forearmed. Heaven warns us us that we might be prepared.
You know life is very,very short and we are all going to die. After death we are, all of us going to one of two places. Heaven. Or Hell. Our Choice.
Yes! Ultimately, each of us must be prayerful and practice the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy. Talk in the form of correction, encouragement, and forgiveness must never be lacking, but it is our living out the Faith in a daily consistent manner that will draw others to our Savior and prepare us for our own personal judgment. I only have today. Tonight I may be dead. Hebrews 9:27 ...it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment!
I think it's presumptuous (is this the word) because it assumes you have guaranteed 6-more months to live. each one's personal apocalypse is one's own death. My own reflections are heavily influenced by low life expectancy in my city in the pre-40s group, tho.
I am reading a book at the moment called , 'The Alchemist', by Paulo Cueolho. You might recall it was on the New York Times best seller list forever after President Clinton was spotted reading it. Anyway a Seer a character in the book says a wise thing. He says we should not seek to view the future since if it is good it will spoil the nice surprise whereas if it is bad we cannot change it and it will only cause us to worry and suffer more. But of course the Church forbids the use of fortune tellers. It does admit prophecy; as the Seer says in the Book seeing the future is fine if God decides He wants us to see it.
