Fountains Abbey was a thriving monastic foundation in 1538, founded in 1132 (I wrote a book about Fountains in 1980-1981).
By the Winter of 1539, it was a ruin.
Not only were hundreds of monks turned out onto the roads to die or find shelter, but hundreds of lay people who had good lives working with the wool industry begun by the monks ended up in poverty, or only kept their jobs by leaving their Faith.
Many thousands of Catholics suffered under the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Many died, not only by martyrdom, but through starvation and homelessness.
Think.....think of watching this level of suffering the Church, men, women, children endured.
One thing the members of the remnant, and I write directly to you, need to know is that we cannot fix, change, or end the suffering we see around us.
We may affect the lives of some people, very few, but the days of great spiritual deeds are changing, perhaps ending..
We must live with a new perspective. This is it-that we do and shall live among those who suffer greatly, and we shall suffer as well, but in a different way.
We shall NOT be able to end suffering in a large scale manner until some pope calls for a worldwide fast and mortification.
What do I mean?
Example: years ago in England, I needed to phone the main exorcist at the time in England to deal with an infestation in a house which was owned by some people I knew. The exorcist told me that not only could he not come, as he was overwhelmed with people exorcisms, and did not have time for infestations, but that I would have to learn how to deal with these when I came across this
Dealing with this meant suffering the infestation and not addressing the demonic presences. Nothing could be done and nothing had been done for 500 years.
That others knew about this who were non-exorcist priests or lay people and who tried to deal with it meant nothing. In fact, those priests made the matter worse. Only the true authority, the exorcist, had the power to do so. There are thousands of houses, buildings, sites in the world which are full of demons. We no longer have the priest exorcist man-power to deal with these problems, and lay people cannot.
This is an example of living in a world wherein more and more people are and have chosen to enter into occult activities and are causing demonic influences in their lives and in the lives of those around them. They have chosen a way which affects other people. Many innocent people suffer and will suffer because of the sins of those who choose evils of different kinds.
The recent Satanic Mass in Oklahoma is another example, but with a difference, as the bishop asked many remnant members to fast. I did for eight days. But, this fasting did not stop the evil from happening.
We remnant members are increasingly and will live in hostile territory, not merely hated by those who we see around us, who hate Christ and His Church and, therefore us, but hated by those we cannot see.
I told someone weeks ago that we are now living and working in enemy territory here in the States.
The remnant will not be able to fix things unless there will be a universal call to holiness and even, perhaps, a crusade.
Can you see this happening now in our overly politically correct world?
The call to personal perfection means that we shall be isolated in our endeavors and maybe, literally alone, which is why last year I asked people to pod. Some are responding, but too few.
Time is short for freedom of movement and for getting holy. Maybe months
Like so many years ago, having to live in a house full of demonic evil for a while, I had to endure suffering, so, too, the remnant will have to learn how to endure
We Americans have been "get up and go" people, "fix it" people. Some things we may not be able to fix.
We shall suffer. And, what is worse, we shall watch those in this country and other countries suffer and even fall completely away from the Faith.
I have seen over the years in teaching and working in the Church that the older generations, the BBers and their parents, are better at suffering than the GenXers and Millennials, most of whom were purposefully not allowed to suffer. Many did not learn how to share, coming from families of one or two. Many have had no religious training at all. We may have to watch them suffer.
Endurance in times of tribulation demands learning how to live in the life of virtues while surrounded by unpleasantries, pain, loss. But, to live in denial, or to turn against suffering, and slip into the life of carpe diem would bring about death to the soul. Some will fall away.
Now is the time to become perfect, cooperating with grace.
Yes, we shall see many people suffer and not be able to do anything but pray. Remember, entire Catholic countries were persecuted to the point that only a remnant of Catholics survived.
Get ready, now.
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.