And in the morning: To day there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering. You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the times? Matthew 16:3 DR
I met so many people in Walsingham who think the Church is about to enter into a Golden Age of evangelization and re-establishment on the earth.
How can I get through to these many disillusioned Catholics (and Anglicans) ? These people honestly do not believe there is a great persecution coming for all Christians, including Catholics, worldwide.
They are not reading, as Christ recommended, "the signs of the times". I have no doubt these nuns, priests and laity think they are living in Faith. Indeed, they tell me so. But, living in Faith does not mean that one creates a comfortable scenario for one's self and family.
It is wake up time, or has been for years. Some of us knew the age of the martyrs was coming years ago.
When I taught religion classes of various kinds, I would open my class with these two statements.
One, "Where are the 25% of the class that should be here?" My students would then ask me why so many had dropped the course. I would answer, no, that is not it. "These members of your generation have been aborted." Silence.
Two, "Are you ready to be martyrs?" Some students would say yes, or they would try, and some would say no.
I am disappointed that so many of my brother and sisters in Christ think the Catholic Church is entering a time of worldly expansion and triumph on earth.
Triumph results from years of persecution, yes. But, expansion of ministries and buildings, no, and quite the opposite.
Those who cannot read the signs of the times may be caught unaware. And, what has happened to their discernment? There are reasons why one loses discernment.