Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, granted a vision of a future tumultuous time in the Church said this,
“She (The Holy Mother) said a great many others things that it pains me to relate: she said that if only one priest could offer the bloodless sacrifice as worthily and with the same disposition as the Apostles, he could avert all the disasters (that are to come). To my knowledge the people in the Church did not see the apparition, but they must have been stirred by something supernatural, because as soon as the Holy Virgin had said that they must pray God with outstretched arms , they all raised their arms. These were all good and devout people, and they did not know where help and guidance should be sought. There were no traitors and enemies among them, yet they were afraid of one another. Once can judge thereby what the situation was like. “
I feel like this is us now. Good Catholics who love God and their Church view each other with fear. People who are scared and troubled are treated as the enemy, publicly scolded and ridiculed if they give voice to their hearts. This leads to more fear, and for many, to stay silent, for they not know where help and guidance should be sought.
I have never seen such division among good and faithful Catholics before. Its ferociously rapid onset seems to reek of the desperation of the evil one, as if his time is short.
I fear it may get worse, much worse, before it gets better. One can judge thereby what the situation is like, can’t one?
Our lent may only be beginning as this era comes to an end.
March 30, 2014 at 4:28 am
I do not fear, not because there are not trials to come, but because we were created for times such as these, to be lights when all other lights go out.
March 30, 2014 at 5:17 am
Patrick, your instincts when Pope Benedict announced his abdication were correct, I'm sad to say.
(video) http://www.harvestingthefruit.com/rumblings-in-rome/
March 30, 2014 at 1:22 pm
I have been discussing this very topic with my sisters. We are living through at least a time of chastisement, at worst, a great apostasy. When I read that other, like you Patrick, see this, I feel some solace. It helps to know that others are praying about the same problems. Could we start a simple practice, like praying the Angelus at 6 am, noon, and 6 pm, every day for the sake of the church, and the souls of all who have been led astray? Surely there's an app for that.
March 30, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Thank you! My feelings exactly. Pray!
March 30, 2014 at 4:45 pm
Sorry if the excerpt below is too long; it is from http://blog.steveskojec.com/2014/03/28/something-wicked/
and it seem many are disturbed by the 'infighting' among faithful Catholics. The finger pointing must stop! This one criticizes the Pope and another doesn't…each one justifying himself…we must stand together and not tear each other apart. We have too many shepherds we cannot trust–those with big mansions, those wanting to tear down teachings on marriage and sexuality, those 'confirming' lesbians in a cathedral…it never ends. Even sayings from the Pope himself are distressing many. Where do we turn? We turn to Christ and His Blessed Mother!!! We hunker down and seek holiness. Those who truly know the faith must do what can be done in their own small sphere. God WILL intervene at the proper time. Let us take full advantage of the sacramental life while we have it readily available.
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The fighting that has set in among faithful, obedient Catholics is deeply troubling, and is evidence enough of the problem. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” The hallmark of the current pontificate is division — not between those on one end of the ideological spectrum or the other, but between the kind of folks who should be running in the same circles. Pro-life, pro-family, pro-Church teaching, rosary-praying, Catechism-reading, politically conservative Catholics. In the ever-shrinking group of the faithful who should be on the same team, fault lines are busting out all over.
Those who are deeply concerned about what the pope and his inner circle are saying put the blame on the shepherds of the Church who are saying these things for being irresponsible stewards of Catholic teaching (and at the very best, poor communicators). They are also wary of those Catholics who reflexively support the pope and his cohorts uncritically. They see their fellow Catholics as little more than papolaters; blind “ultramontanists” and defenders of the defenseless.
On the other side, the full-throated supporters of everything coming out of the Vatican (regardless of its incongruence with Church teaching) have taken to using scare quotes around the word “faithful” when referencing those who have become openly critical of the current pontificate or the direction in which the Church seems to be heading. They do mental gymnastics to show how all of the confusion is in the fault of the hearer. They build up false doctrines that forbid the faithful from criticizing error if it comes from the pope. They also treat non-Catholics with far greater charity than their own fellow Catholics who — even if they turn out to be wrong — are in good conscience questioning what they see as the dangerous situation in the Church. (I will most certainly be vilified for what I’ve written here today. As a general rule, I won’t stoop to their level and question the sincerity of their faith just because they disagree with me. If they didn’t care about the Church, they wouldn’t be confused and afraid. If they weren’t confused and afraid, they wouldn’t be angry.)
Whatever the cause, the fighting is real, and it is damaging the Church in ways that will have long repercussions. Catholic against Catholic, brother against brother. People who profess the same creed — and mean it — at total odds over the meaning of the events and statements that are unfolding almost every day
March 30, 2014 at 5:02 pm
I think Robert de Mattei's essay, Motus in Fine Velocior, describes the prophesied diabolical disorientation in the Church in these times very well. The English translation can be found on, inter alia, Rorate Caeli.
March 30, 2014 at 8:49 pm
Want to make a difference right this moment?
For the actively dying.
While praying, plead for all souls engaged in spiritual combat, now at the final hour of their death! They are forgotten, abandoned, frightened and alone on the verge of despairing! Fly to their rescue with aid from heaven!
Intercede specifically for those who have no one left to pray for them! Let Divine Mercy snatch back from hell someone who would otherwise be lost, forever. Their gratitude, knowing that they deserved hell, will be incalculable.
We have a vast and powerful army at our disposal. We are not "powerless"!
How provocative is that! 😉
Oh by the way, this is from personal experience.
Don't ask to know what they did. Knowlege is a funny thing. You don't want to know. In this, trust in God alone. Don't let the "temptation" to judge sway the course of the objective.
March 30, 2014 at 9:55 pm
Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich became a Venerable, not because of her visions but in spite of them. They were not counted in consideration of her life because they were dictated and the Church cannot guarantee they are accurate or authentic. So while they are pious reading, they are not the same as Fatima, Lourdes or St Hildegard.
March 31, 2014 at 1:33 am
I am so sad to say that the only fear, public scorn and ridicule I have been seeing of late has been on this, my once favourite, blog.
March 31, 2014 at 1:46 am
cnom
Who cares? Who suggested otherwise? Does my post depend on the veracity of the visions or am I trying to make a point, Sheesh.
April 2, 2014 at 12:56 pm
I remember that dreadful day, February 11, 2013, and by noon (my time) a deep settled conviction arose in my mind: "Nothing good will come of this."
Nothing has changed my mind.
April 3, 2014 at 9:01 pm
I've not read in any of Pope Francis' remarks any such praise. Can you point me to something? Everything I have seen is focused on finding a merciful way of dealing with the crisis of marriage in the Church, with little to no specific "policy" recommendations.
April 3, 2014 at 9:06 pm
Sure. Here's where Pope Francis calls Cardinal Kasper's suggestions (which include giving Holy Communion to public adulterers) "serene theology". http://www.romereports.com/pg155863-pope-francis-expresses-support-for-cardinal-kasper-s-serene-theology-on-the-family–en