From All Sides

Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.

   When I heard the news of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, I felt a chill and immediately prayed God to have mercy on us.  I admire this Holy Father. I've read some of his books.  He is a theologian, truly, and has a marvelous intellect.   Do I agree with everything he has done? No. Do I feel that he is still given to some "modernist" ideas? Yes.  However, I also have felt that he would have done more to restore the Church if he had been able.

   What do I mean by that last statement?  Catholics who have tried to educate themselves about the history of the Church, the machinations of those who have tried for 2000 years to destroy it, those allies of Satan who band together for that reason and are within the Church itself, know that the Pope can only do so much.  We pray for him to be preserved from enemies within and without.

   For decades secret societies, communists, anti-religious activists, those with atheistic political aims, and their adherents have infiltrated the Church. They work tirelessly to sow discontent, division and doubt. They have been so successful, especially in the 20th century, but even before, that the Church is weakened and vulnerable to near destruction.

   There have been bad popes, some with lifestyles absolutely abhorrent. Bad bishops and priests have added their own scandals. The Church is still here. No matter what the private lives of past popes, no matter errors they have made in judgment or deliberate steps to confound the faithful, they have never erred when speaking "ex cathedra," from the chair of Peter, in matters of faith and morals.  When Christ promised that the Holy Ghost would be with the Church always and that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," He assured the continuity of His teachings.

   I recently read  Petrus Romanus by Thomas Horn and Cris Putnam, a totally anti-Catholic book leading up to the one who will be the last Pope. The arguments put forth are the same ones I've heard hundreds of times, with interpretations of Catholic belief that are so skewed. I agree with a lot of the history in the book, and the prophesies are covered quite thoroughly, quoting even Catholic sources.  At the same time that appearances of the Virgin Mary are seen as occult, the authors still use the messages from those apparitions to shore up their belief that the Catholic Church will be destroyed.

   I recommend another book, Defiance! by Rev. Joseph M. Esper. It covers the types of anti-Christs through history who have tried to destroy the Church, from antiquity, to Roman emperors, Islam, the Reformation, Illuminati, Freemasons, Marx, Hitler, Stalin, the New World Order - and more. He covers those who have influenced through philosophy, psychology, science, economics, entertainment and the occult. He ends with the coming true Antichrist.

   We have been warned many times by Our Lady of the problems to come within the Church and world affairs that affect mankind. Her plea in every case is for prayer and repentance of sin. She has told of the sadness of Our Lord, of God's anger, of what will happen to the majority of people in the world if we don't change our ways.  She is a messenger of her Son, not a goddess to be worshipped. To honor her is to honor Christ Who sends her as our spiritual mother to admonish her children. Tell me of any thing she has ever imparted that is evil or that leads away from the love and worship of God. She leads us to Christ, always.

   Could the next Pope be the last one? Could he be a servant of the Anti-Christ? He could be. On the other hand he may be the Pope who will lead the faithful through the times of tribulation that are surely coming upon us in an accelerated manner. Will Rome be destroyed at some point? It is entirely possible, along with many nations and millions of people. One message from heaven is that Satan will be vanquished after much persecution. There will be a period of peace for the remnant of mankind with the social kingship of Christ being recognized throughout the world. The end times are here, but not the end of the world - just yet. Our Lord and His teachings will be triumphant upon the whole earth first.

   I titled this post, "From All Sides," because we face destruction of our way of life in this country from our own traitors within, the danger of nuclear war from one side and the threat of terrorist islamists on  another, and the possibility of devastating natural disasters and plagues visited on us by the Creator. These definitely are the "times that try men's souls." It is our souls we need be most concerned about. Pray, fast, do penance. Ask for God's mercy, but give Him a reason to grant it.