manifesto-of-faith

I was asked recently if I believe that the return of Our Lord is near. In some cases, when I answered affirmatively to that question, I was told that Holy Scripture declares that no one knows the day or the hour, all will be taken by surprise except some perspicacious saints, Our Lord will come like a thief in the night … etc. I agree with those statements found in Scripture. In fact, I neither know the day nor the hour.

Many times I have stated,  in this blog and other venues, that I do not pass doctrine down to the public. Apart from the eternal truths of the Catholic faith, all of which I affirm and confess in toto, the rest are only my opinions, thoughts, speculation, etc. If you think different than myself, you have a right to your own opinion. No one has the right however, to impose opinions on others. That is why it is important to make a clear distinction between established Catholic doctrine and your own opinions. One does not want to die defending one’s opinions but should be willing to give one’s life for the truth. The truth, as most of you know already, is not a thing, a concept, an abstraction but a Person, Jesus Christ Our Lord.

So, to answer the main question: yes, I do believe that Jesus is about to return. In fact, I believe the first hours of the much announced Great Tribulation are upon us. I reach that conclusion based on the words of Our Lord who talked about signs of the times. These days, I am quite surprised to hear some who used to chastise me for talking about these things, are now beginning to agree with me. Now they share my opinion about the meaning of the times we are living.

Signs could be general or personal. General signs (to give them a name) are those described in Scripture, the writings and visions of saints, declared in various apparitions of Our Blessed Mother, and examined by scholars and doctors of the Church through the ages. Personal signs are things that various Christians, moved by the Holy Spirit, receive as inner testimonies, warnings, explanations regarding the times we are living.

I have been given the grace of getting some of those. I gather that I did not receive those signs because I am specially saintly or deserving. After all, Saint Paul received a tremendous number of signs and a vision on his way to Damascus. He was “among all sinners, the foremost” by his own declaration. He was about to commit murder and we know he was an accomplice and collaborator on the martyrdom of Saint Stephen. So … sinners can receive warnings, see visions and hear the voice of God occasionally. There is plenty of Scriptural evidence of that.

Dreams

Since my baptism, I have had dreams that seem to be different from any other silly dreams anyone may have. Each one of those seem to have a teaching. I have a special notebook where I write those dreams I deem significant. In the days to come, I will include some of them in my posts. These dreams have happened often on the 13th day of the month. Normally, I get to gradually understand the various elements in those dreams after a few days. (Joel 2: 28-32)

One of the most recent was a personal revelation. In my dream I saw someone I know committing a grave sin. I do not know if that was past, present or future. Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and Saint Matthias were present near that person. One instruction came with the scene I contemplated: “You must help save that person with prayer and reparation. You do not have much time left.”

It was very sad to see that person in such condition. It grieved my heart and then I understood how my sins (and everyone’s) offend God. That detail proved to me that the dream was of divine origin. It moved me to be a better person, and it increased the tender affection I had for that poor person, whom I have known for some time. I learned how God grieves. It is something akin to what we feel when we see a little child suffer great pain. There is no anger, no condemnation but a sadness caused by the bad use we humans do of the divine gift of free will. I have been praying and going to Mass for that particular person since last August.

The phrase “You do not have much time left” can mean a number of things but I have reasons to believe that the time left for all people in this world to repent and abandon sinful behavior is short. The call for prayer and reparation is also urgent.

Now let us concentrate on the urgency:  I came to understand (it would be long to explain, you’ll have to trust me on this) that the person in that dream is a sign given to me to know a certain moment in time. It is a time of passage pretty much like the first moon of the spring was a sign for the Hebrews that they had to get ready to leave Egypt following Moses. The first full moon of spring was, of course, a public sign. My dream is a private one although I am sharing it with you here.

The person in the dream will be one of the last sinners to repent before the Final Passover of the Church and I believe I will be able to discern that personally, thus knowing that the time is extremely close.

Those who are used to meditate on things spiritual may have noticed certain elements on that dream: sin, repentance, mercy, limited time, and the salvific work of Our Lady, the saints, and ourselves through prayer and penance.

Loss of faith, apostasy

In this blog you will find many posts that mention a number of Scriptural signs (i.e. those contained in Matthew cc. 24-25, Daniel, Esther, etc.) Jesus, Saint Paul, Saint John, Saint Peter and others have given us signposts in advance. Those are the signs we have to mind as the arrival of Our Lord approaches. There are many of those signs and all of them have to occur. One will not suffice. The purpose of those is to help us see the moment when the arrival of Our Lord is near.  Those signs are a demonstration of the unfathomable mercy of God who want us to be ready and “dressed for the occasion” with faith and good deeds.

One of the most unique and recognizable signs is “the great apostasy” — that is a moment when the majority of the Christian world will lose the faith. That has been happening for over a millennium, increasing steadily through history. At its climax –we know this from various sources– the very seat of Peter will be compromised. The apparitions of Our Lady at La Salette, Fatima, Akita, etc. point clearly at that moment as the great event that triggers the end of times.

Based on the available information, I believe the apostasy has been brewing for a long time but has accelerated since approximately 1960 entering its final phase in 2013. Events recently taking place in Rome have convinced me that a sudden period of chaos and disorder may be upon us. Apostasy at the top of the Church is the most important sign and the necessary prelude to the day of God’s anger.

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Other signs

The increasing frequency of natural disasters of unusual proportions are, in my opinion, one way God is trying to call mankind’s attention.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  (C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, Harper Collins, 1940/1996, p. 91)

I’d dare to say God’s megaphone is blaring loud and clear through all kinds of volcano eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, earthquakes, extensive forest fires, atmospheric and geological strange phenomena, and various rare astronomical events as well. But the world remains deaf. One can easily see that the global environment is being stressed to the limit. All things remaining the same, an environmental crisis of global proportions should not surprise anyone.

Our Blessed Mother really helps us to be aware and get spiritually prepared for the arrival of Our Lord and the “pangs of distress” that precede that time. Carefully examining the various apparitions of the Virgin Mary during the last 200 years, we see clearly that lately, there is an increase in frequency. There is also an increasing sense of urgency in the messages I have studied. That is another clear pointer.

I am confident that we are going to see Our Lord come to save mankind from its own foolish wickedness. I believe we will see the Final Passover of the Church. The first waves of a period of universal distress are already reaching us.

These news should not alarm us but move us to action, to examine our conscience, to increase our prayer life, to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist more frequently and with increasing devotion. Perhaps the most important part is to develop trust in Divine Providence and God’s loving protection of His faithful. We do not want to be left on the wrong side of the Jordan, we want to enter in the new world of God jubilant and filled with hope. Cheerful confidence in God is the name of the game.

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

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