IF the writing is on the wall, a line is quickly being drawn "in the sand." That is, the line between the Gospel and the anti-Gospel, the Church and the anti-Church. It is clear that world leaders are quickly leaving their Christian roots behind. As the new U.S. government prepares to embrace unrestricted abortion and unfettered embryonic stem cell research—profiting from another form of abortion—there is virtually no one left standing between the culture of death and the culture of life.
Except the Church.
THE TIME OF TIMES
Can you see now the times which have arrived? Who is going to defend life? Who is going to defend marriage? Who is going to speak the truth? You and I: kings, prophets, and priests of the Lord. The battle lines are drawn. There will no longer be a fence to sit on. This time of preparation in the Bastion is about to enter its next phase. And thanks be to God, the Holy Father and some bishops are leading the way:
Any bishop here would be willing, would consider it a privilege, to die tomorrow if it meant ending abortion. We should dedicate the rest of our lives to taking any kind of criticism, whatever it is, to stop this horrible genocide. —Auxiliary Bishop Robert Herman, LifeSiteNews.com, November 12th, 2008
Bishop Herman’ words have embedded within them a spiritual wake-up call. They awaken within the soul the fundamental Christian vocation defined by Christ Himself:
Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt 16:24-25)
IT IS TIME
It is time for the Body of Christ to cease interpreting those words as if they were a soft metaphor for being "nice" to our neighbour. It is a radical call to proclaim the Gospel to the nations at the cost of our lives—and for some of us this will mean literally. It means that I will speak the truth when it may draw derision and persecution. It means that I will remain on the narrow path when my family members denounce me. It means that I will love my enemies when they mock me. It means that I will follow the teachings of Christ handed down through the ages and taught through the Magisterium without compromising, watering down, or dismissing as antiquated those things which I find difficult. It means that I will look around at my house, my possessions, my car, my clothes, my comforts and let go of them in a spirit of total detachment, and be willing to lose them literally, if necessary, for the sake of the truth, offering them to God in exchange for His divine will—whatever that may be—for the sake of the Kingdom.
Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.. (Phil 3:8-9)
I was sent a private note recently by a man whom many would consider a modern day prophet in the Church. He wrote:
Today, I heard interiorly the word, "Be prepared to stand totally alone while all the world reviles you and misrepresents what you say."
The day has come where we must choose to either walk away sad like the rich young man, or leap from the tree like Zacchaeus and run to Jesus, offering our lives and possessions. Oh how sorrowful will be that day when souls stand before God and realize they exchanged eternal rewards for dust and ashes.
The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Rom 8:18)
Brother and sisters, I am not writing to tell you that you should prepare for your lifestyle to change. I am writing to tell you that you must give up your life! Give it up for Christ in an act of love for each and every person you meet!
THE WINDS OF PERSECUTION
Softly, ever so subtly, the winds have suddenly changed direction. There is something new in the air, a saccharine smell. But it is not the sweet fragrance of life, but a cheap imitation like a pungent air freshener. Brothers and sisters, I can hardly contain, let alone express in words, what the Lord has been showing me about the deceptions that are approaching at the speed of a freight train. Those who want to ignore the warning signs and delay putting their spiritual life in order will be caught off guard like the foolish virgins without enough oil for their lamps. My words are not a threat, but a plea. Time is running out, because when major events begin to happen, there will only be time to react. There is a reason God has given the Blessed Mother decades to prepare the Church through her call to "pray, pray, pray". Prayer is the place where we learn to listen to God’s voice, that still small voice amidst the storms. It is also the place where we learn to love Him who loved us first, indeed, learn to trust that He loves me at all. It is this very confidence—faith—which is the oil that will be lit in the darkness that is about to descend for a brief time upon the world.
THE DAYS OF NOAH
Two powerful readings were read in the Masses around the world today:
Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful one and the antichrist. (2 John 7)
The Psalm proclaimed:
Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
And in the Gospel, Jesus said:
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man… Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. (Luke 17:26, 33)
It is never too late for anyone to enter the Ark whom Christ has sent us in these days: the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Any reader right now can choose Christ, can fall on his or her knees, repent of their sins, and follow Jesus. What God has taught many of you over the decades can be infused in a soul instantaneously. In other words, never cease interceding for souls.
For the line has been drawn in the sand… and time has run very short.
The world is rapidly being divided into two c
amps, the comradeship of anti-Christ and the brotherhood of Christ. The lines between these two are being drawn. How long the battle will be we know not; whether swords will have to be unsheathed we know not; whether blood will have to be shed we know not; whether it will be an armed conflict we know not. But in a conflict between truth and darkness, truth cannot lose. —Bishop Fulton John Sheen, D.D. (1895-1979)
Do not be afraid! —Pope John Paul II
FURTHER READING:
- Finding Joy in the midst of this tumultuous times
- On the coming deception: The Smoldering Candle
