Isaiah 13: 6-13 "Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty"....and so on about the wrath of God to come upon the earth. The rest of verses 6-13 sound like Matthew and also Akita and other approved prophecy. Strangely, way back in my younger days we performed a choral work which encompassed the verses from Isaiah and Howl Ye was one of the movements. I just now thought of it! Also, Isaiah 5: 18" Woe unto them who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope." (another movement) After all these years, the words of Scripture still stand. God's Word is eternal. Here's another nugget from Isaiah: "Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil." (another movement) Howl ye!
Well, I actually thought that from the beginning about Pope Francis, but my pastor talked glibly about him. This is not nice to say, but when he stepped out onto the balcony at St. Peter's after being elected, his eyes glittered. I was struck by that. Now recently I see where he is doing very evil things, through and with other evil people. He has aligned himself with the world. "When the world and the Church are one, then shall come the end."
Julia, I quote St. Paul: 1 Cor 13:11 "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. [12] We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. [13] And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity". I have to work very hard to temper my anger, as I see what is going on in the Church. In doing so, I am going against my very nature, which is aggressive. My nature is being very critical and judgemental. This does not make me blind to what Pope Francis has said, has done and is saying and doing now. Years ago, I worked in one of the largest hospitals in the US, doing mechanical and HVAC work. I worked along side many mechanics (Jehovah Witness, Morman's, Protestants, Atheists, Agnostics, and lukewarm Catholics). Many discussions broke open about religion and I couldn't answer the questions with any convincing arguments. I was young (24) and even though raised by good and faithful parents and a Catholic education for 7 years, it was the 60's and 70's and I really did not have a clue about the faith. A couple of years after working at the University Hospitals, I made a trip to Wisconsin to visit my brother who was working for a Catholic apostolate. Somehow Fatima was brought up and I could not believe what I was being told happened 100 years ag0. From that moment on I could not get enough stuff to read and that I did (apparitions, stigmatists, the incorruptibles), you name it, I was on fire for the faith and it has never left. Funny thing about learning the faith and being able to defend it. The fella's in the shop all of a sudden did not bring faith subjects up so much, because now it was they who could not answer to their own faith. I can identify to what St. Paul said above, but in doing so I have to temper my behavior, lest I become unChristian in how my human nature wants to speak. I can see clearly what is going on in the Church and will defend its teachings to the end, by the grace of God. But...... I have to fight real hard not to grow bitter towards the apostate sinners, even if it be those in the highest offices of the Church. It would be so much easier to just give up and go with the flow, but that is not my nature. I have sinned sufficient enough in my life time to have deserved hell many times over. This is why I have to temper my anger at those who should know better within the clergy, lest I become uncharitable in my speech. I really feel the only and best thing I can do at this point, is pray and do penance and hope that these clergy who have lost their faith will find it before they die. I think there is truly wicked clergy (Freemasons) and then there is those who are confused and will eventually, like me, wake up and see the errors of their faith journey. At this point, I don't feel Pope Francis is evil, I think he is confused from how he was raised and the brainwashing he received early in his faith development (liberation theology). I will continue to pray for him and all those who are speaking contrary to the faith and in doing so causing great division within the church.
I think there is truly wicked clergy (Freemasons) and then there is those who are confused and will eventually, like me, wake up and see the errors of their faith journey. At this point, I don't feel Pope Francis is evil, I think he is confused from how he was raised and the brainwashing he received early in his faith development (liberation theology). I will continue to pray for him and all those who are speaking contrary to the faith and in doing so causing great division within the church. It is very good to hear you say that, Fatima. God bless
Don't lose hope, Fatima. The lukewarm may be in key positions now but there are hardworking, faithful priests serving God and the Church. Their photos won't be on the cover of Time magazine but they will keep the faith alive for future generations. Sometimes I have to make a conscience effort to remind myself of that. One such priest was the celebrant at the Mass I attended today. No innovations or "it's all about me" performance. It was a special Mass for the Divine Mercy novena. This being the eighth day of the novena, the homily was about Purgatory. In one short homily, that priest managed to explain Adam's fall from grace, Satan's deviousness, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Transubstantiation, the Church being the Bride of Christ, Our Lady being the Mother of the Church and our Mother, what Purgatory is, the residual effects of sin, and the enormous gift associated with this special Novena on the feast of Divine Mercy. He even managed a mention of Fatima. My only regret was that it wasn't a Sunday Mass with a full Church. We must keep on praying for all those who are consecrated to God, be they faithful or wayward. God will answer our prayers in His own time. We also need to pray that more good men will hear and respond to God's call (that's something else that got a mention in today's homily).
I understand you are trying to be charitable, Fatima. But he has praised those who do evil (eg. Emma Bonino), said harsh words against the faithful (eg. the young who go for the Latin mass), said things obviously contradictory to our faith ( eg.no one is condemned forever), swiftly spoken out against a proposed good liturgical change (Cardinal Sarah's proposal of ad orientem), refused to provide clarity in important church matters (refusal to answer the dubia), invited pro abortion and pro contraception people to speak at the Vatican, taken sides against Trump (and therefore for Hillary Clinton) in the US elections etc. etc. I think it's fair to say there's more than plain confusion here.
Tomorrow is Earth's day. I read in the catholic news things as ridiculous as this: Fr. Tom Reese tackled environmental challenges by insulating his residence and updating the lightbulbs. Father Tom Reese is nothing less than the director of the most prominent jesuit magazine in the American continent. Besides praying for Fr, Tom Reese, let's remember the words Cardinal Biffi in the Vatican Spiritual exercises for Lent in 2007: Pope’s Retreat Preacher Speaks on Antichrist as a “pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist” https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/p...on-antichrist-as-a-pacifist-ecologist-and-ecu [...] "there are relative values, such as solidarity, love of peace and respect for nature. If these become absolute, uprooting or even opposing the proclamation of the event of salvation, then these values become an instigation to idolatry and obstacles on the way of salvation." Cardinal Biffi affirmed that "if Christianity—on opening itself to the world and dialoguing with all—dilutes the salvific event, it closes itself to a personal relationship with Jesus and places itself on the side of the Antichrist." Cardinal Biffi’s reflections, in fact, are very similar to remarks Pope Benedict made last Fall in a meeting with Swiss Bishops. While Pope Benedict did not speak of the Antichrist, he spoke of a new false or "substitute" religion, calling it also a "successor" of religion. "Modern society is not simply without morality, but it has, so to speak, ‘discovered’ and professes a part of morality", the Pope told the Swiss bishops. "These are the great themes of peace, non-violence, justice for all, concern for the poor, and respect for creation." However, the Pope warned that these "great moral themes" have "become an ethical complex that, precisely as a political force, has great power and constitutes for many the substitute for religion, or its successor." "It is only if human life is respected from conception to death that the ethics of peace is also possible and credible," concluded the Pope. "It is only then that non-violence can express itself in every direction; only then that we truly welcome creation, and only then that we can arrive at true justice."
Indeed it seems that the Fest of the Divine Mercy has become the #Mercy2Earth weekend, excellent news ! ... https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/04/21/earth-day-catholics-prepare-show-mercy-planet/
I thank you v much Jarg for posting that Lifesite article from 2007. What Cardinal Biffi said about the AntiChrist would be well worth being more widely know.
I am aware of all these things you have said. Knowing all this and more and how we respond to it all is the question for us all. I am not prepared at this time to call him the False Prophet of scriptures, whom there is no hope for. No doubt, in many examples, he is fulfilling the Fatima messages in leading the great "spiritual confusion" within the Church. No doubt his words and writings have led to ultimate abuses within the church clergy having all kinds of abominations taking place within Catholic Churches, especially with the homosexual communities. Yet, like so many social justice pastors I have had in the past 30 years, I feel when the great shaking comes from God, Pope Francis and many of of the liberal pastors and bishops may well repent and this is what I hold out hope for and pray for.
