The supernatural principle will be preserved only by those who cling to the divine essence in prayer...

Today, a growing army of lost souls - the children of Belial - are feverishly preparing a world which will be ready and eager to accept the reign of Antichrist, a rule which will be thoroughly saturated with witchcraft and occultism, a demon-state where daily libations of human bodies and blood will be offered in satanic worship to placate the Man-God and his master Satan.  Under the banner of a political and militarily organized atheism, this army of secular and occult humanists are uniting to deny the true God and His plan for humanity.

Only those who remain faithful to prayer will persevere to the end.  This explains why so many who once professed the Christian faith have now abandoned the faith altogether or remain in the Church only in a bodily manner (see Lumen Gentium, No. 14).

Father Livio Fanzaga reminds us that, "Prayer is another fundamental weapon for the great battle of the end times. When man will glorify himself and proclaim the Antichrist as God made man, the supernatural principle will be preserved only by those who cling to the divine presence in prayer.  These will 'experience' God, His existence, lordship, power and glory.  In the time of Antichrist, the power of suggestion will cloud reason.  Only those who intimately experience the supernatural in prayer will have the strength to acknowledge God's existence, despite the apparent evidence to the contrary...in an era marked by the seduction of the heart, of a general obscuring of the mind, and of the folly of reason, only those who have had a strong experience of God in prayer will preserve the faith.  In that supernatural experience the faith will be conserved and you will conform to it.  If you look to the sun and see the light, even if man denies the existence of the sun, what can you say?  Having seen the sun you will not vacillate in the faith.  You will be a rock in the waves of the sea." (Wrath of God: The Days of the Antichrist, pp. 149, 150).

Romano Guardini, in his classic work entitled The Lord, warns us that the Antichrist's arguments, "will be so impressive, supported by means of such tremendous power - violent and diplomatic, material and intellectual - that to reject them will result in almost insurmountable scandal, and everyone whose eyes are not opened by grace will be lost." (p. 513).

We pray because we love the Lord Jesus and desire to have an intimate relationship with Him.  Our prayer is rooted in love.  And this love will preserve us from the Man of Sin (even if we lose our bodies to martyrdom).  This is the love that has made the martyrs, virgins, apostles and all the saints.  St. Paul assures us that because of this love, "Neither death, nor life, nor angels...nor things present, nor things to come, nor might...nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord." (Romans 8: 35).

In my last post, I quoted Marian Horvat, referring to Francis' Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere, which she correctly observes, "effectively asks all contemplative women to embrace the social agenda of the post-conciliar Popes, which eschews prayer for conversion to the Catholic Faith and the primary goal of contemplative life in the past: becoming victim souls to appease the just anger of Our Lord for the sins of individuals and nations...

A new signpost is erected: to offer “intercessory prayer for prisoners, migrants, refugees and victims of persecution.” These intercessory prayers must also extend to the unemployed, the poor, sick, drug addicts, AIDS victims and others in such “urgent” situations. That is to say, the contemplative sisters are to change their focus from prayer for conversion and salvation of souls to prayer for the social well-being and health of bodies. (n. 16)

Persevere in prayer and in fidelity to the Lord Jesus. Dark days are ahead. Soon, all will appear to be lost.  For the Church, like her Master, must pass through Calvary.  Soon, the Mass will be suppressed.  Blood will flow in the streets. But afterward will come Resurrection.  And then, finally, the world will burst into flower.

Plenty of immaturity to go around....

The White House is now questioning General Stanley McChrystal's judgment and maturity because of comments which he made to a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine. See here. But perhaps we should also be questioning the judgment and maturity of President Barack Obama. When he was still just a Senator from Illinois campaigning for the presidency, Mr. Obama painted religious belief as a sort of crutch saying that, "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and a like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them....And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them.."

And speaking of antipathy toward people who are different, as President, Barack Obama described the thinking of millions of Americans as backward, saying that those who are morally opposed to homosexuality because of their belief in Divine Revelation and or Natural Law are clinging to "worn arguments and old attitudes." See here.

And speaking of poor judgment, remember when the President said he was bowling as if he were in the Special Olympics? Isn't it true that such a statement also reflects immaturity? At least the President apologized for that comment. But then, the General has apologized for his comments.

Yes the General works for the President - the Commander-in-Chief. But the President works for the American people. And some of his remarks have been nothing less than immature, insensitive and even cruel. And they too demonstrate a lack of good judgment and even common sense.

Compare President Obama's attitude toward religion and the American people with that of our first President, George Washington. In his Farewell Address given on September 19, 1796, President Washington said in part that, "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them..."

But President Obama hasn't respected the great pillars of religion and morality. Instead, he views these as a sort of crutch. And while Mr. Obama doesn't hesitate to insult the American people - the same people he is supposed to be working for - President Washington's attitude was markedly different. In the same address, he said, "Though in reviewing the incidents of my Administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence..."

There is plenty of immaturity to go around these days. If the White House is really concerned about the problem of immaturity, it should first look within.

Evidence of poor judgment and immaturity here and here.