Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all, keep the Catholic faith. For unless a person keeps this faith whole and entire, he will undoubtedly be lost forever. Creed of St Athanasius
Nothing can be more distressing to devout and fervent Catholics than the papacy of Francis and these troubled times and that the two strike a common chord of frightening disharmony. There is no crystal clear view of the nature of these troublesome times and their meaning than Fr. Vincent Miceli’s book, entitled “The Antichrist” in which, amongst many other great clarifications of the Last Times, he writes: “Newman (Cardinal Newman of the 1900’s a great Anglican convert) consults Holy Scripture, the fathers of the Church and the great historical figures in order to describe events which will usher in the times of the Antichrist. The day of the Antichrist will not come until there is a great falling away from God, Christ and the Church. This frightful apostasy and the advent of the man of sin shall be prepared by “false prophets,” “false christs,” “the showing of signs and wonders,” “iniquity abounding,” and “love waxing cold” in the whole world. These signs will tell us that the day of the Lord is near, even at the doors, for the Antichrist comes immediately before the Second Coming of Christ. Two other great signs will herald the imminent coming of the Antichrist. There will be worldwide confusion and trouble, “great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world until this time,” and this Gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall come the end.”
That the Master and Bridegroom of us all may be so soon knocking for his servants to enter for the judgment ought to be the most obvious conclusion to draw from the warning signals that these times ominously suggest. Moreover, it is absolutely imperative that any Catholic serious about saving his soul must be cognizant of these signs of the arrival of the Antichrist and , especially, how these times and their signs of the Antichrist are immediately obvious in the papacy of Francis: his grossly unorthodox rule and false teaching and heresy, now blatantly obvious in “Amoris Laetitia” (see former article) from the Throne of Peter and never before witnessed so boldly than in Francis’
Papacy.
To be unaware of these signs, as large numbers of Catholics today are, is certainly very deleterious and could cost them their immortal souls and their salvation according to Fr. John Hardon S. J. One of Fr. John Hardon’s most often spoken truths whenever he taught to crowds the faith was: “Ordinary Catholics will not survive these times, only heroic, only extraordinary, holy Catholics will survive.” And Fr. Hardon always taught that an holy Catholic conscience was always a well-informed Catholic conscience.
And how do we know that uninformed Catholic consciences are most dangerous to our eternal salvation is so clear when one considers the earmarks of the times in which we live today are those very marks the Antichrist has let loose, and which ultimately have been unleashed by the devil himself to snare millions of souls. Moreover, Our Lord Himself warns of the danger of these times for uninformed Catholic consciences, as well as for even informed Catholic consciences, suggesting these times even of the Antichrist, when He said: “In the end there will be many false prophets who will lead many astray.”
In fact, nothing is more moving, and more stunning than the words of Fr. Vincent Miceli, S. J. in his awesome book of the “Antichrist” and how truly dangerous are these times in which we live with uninformed catholic consciences which are the very earmarks of the times of the Antichrist, when he himself wrote so poignantly in his book “The Antechrist” the following:
“The intention of Satan is to make a physical and spiritual wreckage of all God’s creation. He enlists men in that attempt by their lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life. The Bible tells us that Satan will be loosed in the last days and granted permission to accelerate his evil activity greatly until it reaches a crescendo in the appearance of his Commander-in-Chief of the armies of iniquity—the Antichrist –who will organize and eventually divide society for its final destruction. "
And Fr. Vincent Miceli continues so brilliantly in his analysis of these perilous times in his book “Antichrist” to souls:
“We are living in perhaps the most decadent, violent, faithless century in the history of mankind. It is a time of massive negativism of God, of Christ, of His Church. Moreover, the escalating armies of atheists do not, indeed cannot, remain neutral, apathetic or indifferent to Christ. Rather they zealously declare themselves openly in favor of Satan’s program for mankind, maintaining that his false teachings and diabolical deeds are more likely to guarantee man happiness in an earthly utopia than are the teachings and ways of Jesus Christ. That is why the earth is presently filled with activities and conditions that please Satan. He and his legions of demons help to establish spiritual wastelands everywhere with the aid of evil men. More than ever before has Satan become today “the god of the world.” The reason is that men, made in the image and likeness of God, have willingly corrupted themselves to resemble more the devils they now follow. They daily engage in strife, treachery, bloodshed, tyranny, violence, terrorism, crime, sexual licentiousness, perversion, abortion, euthanasia, drug addiction and wars in larger numbers than ever before. God has been supplanted as the center of man’s life by foreign gods. Men, in ever increasing numbers worship at the shrines of money, property, fame power, pleasure success, science. But whatever it is that takes first place in man’s life, that is his idol. And behind every idol man prostrates himself before stands Satan the author of idolatry. For whoever worships Mammon and his creaturely satellites, in effect is really worshipping Satan who hides behind all idols.”
How vehemently Our Divine Lord admonished all humanity of the extraordinary dangers in the times of the last days when He said:
“If I did not shorten those days even the Elect, if that were possible, would go astray, but I will shorten those days.”
In other words, there will be such a proliferation of evil in the last days, that he would have to shorten those days. Are not these the times of the Antichrist as St. Paul described them so clearly in Thessalonians II:2 because of the enormous growth of evil as a result of the Great Falling Away of Catholics in the last fifty years worldwide after which the Antichrist will appear according to Cardinal Newman? But St. Paul, from all this, wants no one to be deceived of the arrival of the Second Coming of Christ unless these events occur exactly in the order he predicts in Thessalonians II: 2.
Moreover, it is absolutely imp
erative that any Catholic, serious about saving his soul, must be cognizant of these signs of the Antichrist and furthermore how these signs are intimately wrapped up in the events of the Papacy of Francis: his blatantly unorthodox rule of the Catholic Church, his false teaching -- both actually and by neglect—and his heresy, now obvious in Amoris Laetitia (see former article), from the Throne of Peter. To be unaware of these signs, as large numbers of Catholics apparently today are, could be very deleterious to their souls if not cost them their eternal salvation, according to Fr John Hardon, one of the most prolific of Catholic catechists in the last sixty years. One of Fr. John Hardon’s most frequently unspoken truths was the following, whenever he gave conferences: “Ordinary Catholics will not survive these times, only heroic, only extraordinary, holy Catholics will survive.”
And according to Fr. John Hardon a sign of an ordinary Catholic would surely be an “uninformed Catholic conscience.” And how do we know that uninformed Catholic consciences are most dangerous to our eternal salvation, especially, if one considers the earmarks of the times of the Antichrist in which we apparently live? Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself warns of these evil times and their proliferation of wickedness when He taught “ that in the end there will be many false prophets who will lead many astray.” All of these false prophets are either working for Our Lord Jesus Christ or for the Antichrist in the end. There is no half way, part of this and that, for Christ said most matter-of-factly and clearly that “you are either for Me or against Me!” Or in practical terms you are either the facilitator of Christ or of the Antichrist.
Let us examine now most closely the characteristics of the times of the Antichrist which are the following and which are seemingly everywhere: in the Catholic Church, other Christian religions, other false religions and cults, or completely outside the Church. These characteristics of the Antichrist are the following: “There’s no right, no wrong, no religion, no god, no heaven, no hell, no judgment, no judge.” In other words, we live in an age with the complete death of conscience, all properly informed Catholic consciences, or even the possibility of salvation, but rarely now, in the Catholic Church.
For example, there being no moral rectitude anymore likewise means there is, by the same token, no sin, and no need to confess one’s sins nor any need of priests, bishops, or the pope to talk of sin anymore, for it is totally false. And it is interesting to note that we no longer hear from Catholic pulpits priests expounding on serious moral depravities, in particular, of a sexual nature: “contraception, abortion, adultery, cohabitation before marriage or fornication, immodest attire, masturbation, homosexuality, pedophilia, pornography, prurient movies, books, and magazines etc. Or do you even hear them teaching on sin and virtue and the need to confess?”
In short there is no sin, no self-denial, just self affirmation—email your friend and he will reciprocate and tell you how wonderful you are of a person, or shop on Sunday to lift someone’s spirits or your own, just live by the gospel of false charity. The gospel of repentance is a thing of the past for you have your joy now, your fill, your happiness in the gospel of plenty where there is no mourning now, no detachment, simply no penance. This is the exact opposite of Christ’s words: "Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. ( Luke 6:25 )
If there is no sin, no guilt, no conscience that is kept aware of what’s right and wrong at all times, then it follows there is no contrite and humble hearts necessary that need to offer worthy sacrifice for their sin daily or weekly; in other words you therefore easily become a lukewarm Catholic or a modern pagan who shops on Sunday or does sports without Church, a follower of the Antichrist. Then no one needs God to sacrifice for his sin by His divine sacrificial death, but the Mass instead becomes a meal or a banquet and no sacrifice for sin. If this is true then God loves everyone and we are all as a result going to heaven, no matter what religion you practice, because there is no such thing as sin or any need whatsoever for repentance. This is especially true in the new Mass and and its outward worship which contradicts all the teaching of the Tridentine Mass from the past with its intense sorrow for sin , and a Mass which further demanded a heartfelt repentance and a contrite heart through the centuries before the new mass was ever created. No longer is this the case. The priest and people used to beg God at the Offertory of the old Mass for forgiveness for their “numerous sins, offences, and negligences.” Not any more!
Now we offer up with the priest in the new mass the bread and wine from the grain of the land and the fruit of the vine. Nothing about sin—one’s unworthiness and therefore the extraordinary need for worthy sacrifice to God
“for forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, the First Priest and Innocent Saving Victim, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.”
Without the lowly attitude of a
“humble and contrite heart”
before God in the Mass, no worthy sacrifice or meaningful sin sacrifice is offered to God for the salvation of our souls, but simply a protestant praise banquet or love banquet instead is offered in place of the centuries old Catholic Tridentiine Mass.
In fact, so utterly important to worthy sacrifice to God is this proper attitude at the Sacrifice of the Mass, of possessing a humble and contrite heart. This is essential.
Contrite because this indicates one’s necessary sorrow for sin, not only present sin but past sins for which reparation is desperately needed to be offered, in order to avoid the flames of purgatory or , indeed, a humble and contrite heart because of all past mortal sins forgiven but for the reparation still due! Certainly and most obviously we need to have a general sorrow and repentance for our past sins in order to receive any benefit from the sacrifice of Christ immediately consummated in the Mass we are presently attending to offer any kind of worthy sacrifice.
It is this denial of sins which is so obvious in the new Mass that is so offensive to God for He forgives no sin of servants without a humble and contrite heart. A contrite heart is one always sorrowful for its sin and which is always cognizant of its present sinning, especially, but also of its past offenses.
Too many, many so called Catholics today have no sense of sin and so their presence at Mass is virtually meaningless. In short, they have been overcome by a lukewarm spirituality, a malaise perpetrated by the Antichrist in these apparently frightening times of the Antichrist.
All this attitude of lacking proper contriteness and humility for our sin comes from lack of Confession, denial of sin, pride, and becoming, from this, a servant of the Antichrist. Without a contrite and humble heart, we are lost. Without a constantly contrite and humble heart, we become servants of sin and the Antichrist.
Since the Mass is entirely and totally a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins by the offering of Jesus Christ to his Father, it depends in every way upon a repentant and contrite heart of each participant, especially the priest for there to be a beneficial and worthy sacrifice. Because so few, precious few, Catholics, as well as their priests, attend Mass today with a properly contrite and humble heart, very few Masses therefore are properly propitiatory by its participants. In short, the infamous lukewarm Catholicism of the New Mass, has created so many, many agents of the Antichrist in today’s sacred Catholic worship service, the New Mass, because so few, if any, are repentant for sin, and therefore, participate in Holy Mass efficaciously.
But if the Mass or the New Mass is to produce its proper effect, it is absolutely necessary that our hearts be properly disposed to receive these graces as well as the Mass’s effect. Consequently, this explains why the warning of St. Paul the Apostle is so utterly serious for anyone receiving the Holy Eucharist, when he says:
“But let a man first prove himself, and then let him eat of this bread and drink of the chalice.”
And “proving himself” to St. Paul means coming to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass worthily and with a humble and contrite heart.” This also explains why St Paul further says in Corinithians that “anyone who eats and drinks the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily, eats and drinks his own damnation.”
In these most dangerous times, according to Fr. Vincent Miceli, S.J., we must be aware how important the Sacrifice of the Cross, the Mass, is to one’s eternal Salvation. To not be aware of the Cross and love Christ’s Divine Sacrifice properly, one will receive the anathema of Jesus Christ Himself Who rebuked Peter himself, his first Apostle, for trying to stop Him from going to His Own Crucifixion to save the world from its sin, with these prophetic words: “Thou savorest not the things that are of God, but of man.” And this to all who resist adopting a “contrite and humble heart” at every Mass we attend.