Gospel Mk 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
REFLECTION:
"In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken."
We are now experiencing the cooler weather that fall brings. One by one the nights grow longer, and the days are now shorter. A prelude to the darkening of winter.
In the last few months I've met with friends here and there to chat and catch up. Many times they tell me how scared they are about this or that prophecy, or they heard this or that seer talking about the upcoming war or disaster, the three days of darkness, or some other catastrophe.
I am not immune to conspiracy theory, either religious or civil. I easily lose sleep over what an emp attack * or a zero day attack * * would do to us. People have also been talking about how to prepare for the three days of darkness, where there will be total darkness, there won't be any light, only the one given by "candles made of beeswax that were blessed during Candlemas". This very specific instruction sounds very suspicious. It also makes me ponder how can we light these candles if the matches are not going to work?
They say that depression is to worry about the past. Anxiety is to worry about the future. The devil lives in the past and the future. He makes us regret our mistakes, and tries to make us lose confidence in what God has prepared for us. Is it really worth it to worry about things that may or not happen?
Saint Paul exhorted us:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Saint Padre Pio also told us to:
Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.
Comments