The Signs Of The Times

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places." 

(Mt 24:6-7)

I try not to be overly-apocalyptic in my personal life and on this blog. I really do. I try not to be intentionally sensationalist or alarmist.

But I've been dealing with a sense of malaise and dis-ease all day over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I am not well-informed in geopolitics, but I do have a basic understanding of Mariology and hermeuneutical eschatology. 

For those who don't, here's some basics (from Wiki, for brevity):

"The Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by a specific act of a reigning Pope along with all the other Catholic bishops of the world was ordered in a Marian apparition by Our Lady of Fátima in 13 July 1917. Sister Lúcia dos Santos, one of the three visionaries publicly stated that at different times the Virgin Mary had given her a message of promise, that the consecration of Russia (as a country) would usher in a period of world peace.

The Vatican stated that Sister Lúcia declared to them in private correspondence during the 1980s that the consecration offered by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square on 25 March 1984 had been properly accomplished and was “accepted in Heaven”.

The authenticity of this is vehemently rejected by some traditionalist Catholics, including those at Fatima Centre, namely Father Nicholas Gruner, Christopher Ferrara, the SSPX, among others, who support claims of parallelism to the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Akita in 1973."

For those unfamiliar with Akita (Japan), one of the messages from Our Lady there:

“As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests”

I've always interpreted this (don't hold me to it) "fire from the sky" as nuclear annihilation. I guess we'll have to stay tuned to see how things play out. 

No one could say that there was no demonic element in Hitler. You don't just exterminate millions of God's chosen people on a whim. Exorcist Fr. Gabriele Amorth: "If one thinks of what was committed by people like Stalin or Hitler, certainly they were possessed by the devil. This is seen in their actions, in their behavior and in the horrors they committed."

Would it be a stretch to presuppose Satan, during his 100 year reign, couldn't make use of Putin in similar fashion? World War II began with Germany's invasion of Poland; are we on the brink of World War III with Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Is it mere coincidence that the "errors of Russia" be made manifest in our lifetime? If Communist China allies with Russia to realign the axis of geo-hegemony and unseat the U.S. as a global superpower...why would we be surprised? Alexander Tytler: 

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”

There's natural and geo-political reasons for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, of course; maybe Putin smelled weakness and incompetency in the U.S. presidential cabinet and simply capitalized on timing. Maybe there was an element of humiliation since the fall of the USSR that is goading him on. Perhaps the temptation of laying claim to the breadbasket of Europe was too great to pass up. 

But I have to believe there are supernatural forces at work as well. Our Lady has been appearing with such frequency these past few hundred years to warn us; have we listened? Have we heeded her call to repentance, fervent prayer, and penance? Or have we doubled down on our woke delusions, murderous appetite, and attachments to sinful disorder? I think the answer is obvious. 

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:18) The words of St. Peter ring in my ear. The living will envy the dead. 

I will admit, lest I think myself more detached and spiritual then I am, when the news first broke about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, my first thoughts were purely material: "how will I heat my house?" "What about cyber attacks?" "Will we be able to afford a long drive vacation this summer?" "What about the markets? The supply chain?" "What if WE are attacked?" Etc. 

These are reasonable questions for a worldly person, but they should be secondary for a Christian, who should have no worry about what he is to eat and drink and wear (Mt 6:25) and who would concern himself in charity for the welfare of those truly suffering (especially our Eastern Catholic brethren) through this in the affected countries. It's embarrassing. 

Adding insult to injury, is the echoing of St. Francis de Sales words in my ear as well, "Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to to pray, but He forbids you to worry." And experiencing anxiety and worrying is all I've been doing all day. Oh Jesus, how did you sleep on a pillow in a tempest? How? Lord, grant me peace. And yet,

"How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again." (Mark 13:17-19). 

A friend gave me a few morsels of solace in that if one has been faithful to the First Friday and First Saturday devotions, he should not worry. I have to hope and pray that God will give us the grace to endure whatever it is one is called to endure for those who remain faithful to Him. “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them....People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken." (Mark 13:20; Luke 21:26).

Even if this isn't the end (and it may very well not be), our Lord admonishes us to read the signs of the times. 

Lord, I trust that you are working. I know we are deserving of the chastisement you send us, because we have forgotten you. We pray for the people of Ukraine suffering at the hands of unlawful oppressors, but also for the world that is under your dominion and judgement. Lord, do not let us perish! And if you are to wipe us away from your sight, give us grace to endure the lashes and not deny you while writhing upon our crosses. Lord save your people, and bless your inheritance.  

Amen.