Saturday, September 03, 2005
ANTICIPATING ANTICHRIST
LifeSiteNews.com offers a review of an editorial in September's Catholic Insight magazine by editor Rev. Alphonse de Valk, who puts the same-sex "marriage" legislation into the context of a last days scenerio.
Rev. de Valk cites the Trent Catechism's description of the general judgment which reads:
Signs of the General Judgment - The Sacred Scriptures inform us that the general judgment will be preceded by these three principal signs: the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world, a falling away from the faith, and the coming of Antichrist. "This gospel of the kingdom," says our Lord, "shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come." The Apostle also admonishes us that we be not seduced by anyone, "as if the day of the Lord were at hand; for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the judgment will not come." (p. 84)
According to Rev. de Valk:
It is now recognized within the Catholic Church that the loss of faith among the peoples who once constituted Christendom is well advanced. Recently, Pope Benedict spoke of Europe as a Godless society. 'Europe,' he said, 'has developed a culture that, in a manner unknown before now to humanity, excludes God from the public conscience, either by denying Him altogether, or by judging that His existence is not demonstrable and therefore uncertain and belonging to the realm of subjective choices, something, in any case, irrelevant to public life.'"
Rev. de Valk also indicates that "on February 21, 2001, in an address which received scant attention, Pope John Paul II, speaking of the 'signs of the times,' announced that the Gospel was 'spread now in all corners of the planet'."
It would appear that Rev. de Valk is quoting from a secondary source that reported on the consistory which took place on Feb. 21, 2001. During his homily given at the consistory, John Paul said:
4. Venerable Brothers, you are the first Cardinals to be created in the new millennium. After having drawn in abundance from the sources of divine mercy during the Holy Year, the mystical barque of the Church is preparing anew "to put out into the deep", to bring the message of salvation to the world. Together let us unfurl her sails to the wind of the Spirit, examining the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, to answer "the ever recurring questions which men ask about the meaning of this present life and of the life to come" (Gaudium et spes, n. 4).[emphasis mine]
He also indicated:
5. You come from 27 countries on four continents and speak various languages. Is this not a sign of the Church's ability, now that she has spread to every corner of the globe, to understand peoples with different traditions and languages, in order to bring to all the message of Christ? In him and only in him can we find salvation. This is the truth that today we would like to reaffirm together. Christ walks with us and guides our steps.[emphasis mine]
This event took place on the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Cardinal Newman who lectured on the theme of the Antichrist.
No one knows, of course, when Christ will return. Many have predicted his imminent return, only to be proven wrong. Signs, though, do seem to be multiplying and anticipation is advancing on many fronts today.
Thanks to a reader for sending in the link to the LifeSite article.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
