There is a great pall that hangs low over the whole earth. Man awaits for the arrival of something he cannot explain. But deep inside, each person I encounter senses that something evil is in their midst that they cannot stop.
It scares them. It scares us all.
Darkness…
What is this great darkness that overshadows us? This darkness is intangible. One individual or group of individuals cannot contain it.
Yet the dictates that are ever increasing are rapidly entangling each person into a web that is inescapable. Surveillance systems are in use. They watch the movement of every person on the planet. Are they violating some unforeseen laws or rules? Do they act against unseen, controlling powers behind the screen?
The reality of the futurist book, 1984, are becoming commonplace. Once law-abiding citizens around the world are pushing back against this tyranny. But to no avail. The darkness continues unabated.
And the common man is losing hope.
False hope…
That hope cannot lie in the concept of self-reliance. Hardships have rarely touched the lives of people living in the first world countries. There is a universal movement toward self-reliance. People, certain of their own resources, are stocking up for the inevitable.
Yet, no one knows clearly what that future will hold.
Will there be a savior from among men to solve the world’s restlessness? And will the common man recognize what type of man that will be? Is he able to put peace back into the heart of man? Or will he be a worse scourge than the unseen hands that control the governing bodies now?
Prophecies regarding the presence of the antichrist has been around for centuries. He walks among us now. We don’t recognize him. But he is there – waiting in the wings to emerge onto the troubled world. And he will dictate a false peace at the expense of the destruction of many, many human beings.
Is prepping the way to salvation?
Not amount of ammunition stockpiled in someone’s basement will stop what is coming.
And no politician with words that reflect the direction longed for will take power without authorization from powers above. No politician ever has.
Man’s hope in another man will enslave them. They will get what they asked for.
“…when God’s people seek refuge in the nations or governments of the world instead of Him, God will give them exactly what they want. And in doing so, they will be delivered unto the very nations in whom they sought refuge. And they will become enslaved. (“Walking with God”, Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)
It is happening now all over the world. One only has to look at Canada, Australia, and Israel to see this in action.
It doesn’t seem to end…
Long before our era came into being, great saints and prophets spoke of these dark times. It would be unlike anything man has experienced in his history.
Few would survive. Many would die of plagues and pestilences. Scientists have created environmental changes and modern DNA altering drugs under the guise of “helping improve the condition” of the environment or health of the body.
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”
William Pitt
It is indeed rare that man has been able to improve on anything in creation. If anything, history shows his ineptness.
Food prices, fuel prices, housing prices – all are going up astronomically. In my area, housing jumped $100,000 in a year, gas prices jumped over $3 in a little over a year plus, and food has skyrocketed as well. What was to be a comfortable income to live has now become untenable.
And more problems are on their way, both from nature and from the controlling interests in our world. Wars and rumors of wars rumble across our lands. Earthquakes and natural disasters are ticking up. The Atlantic Oceanic Current is close to shutting down completely if not already, spelling unprecedented cold around the world. The fulfillment of Luke 20:10-36 is at hand.
But in the midst of it all, there still shines the little spark of hope.
Do not fear…
Our Lord said, “…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the sould; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
Yet, being human, it is difficult to imagine not be fearful when those who hate you seek to destroy you. Looking at those throughout history, and even today, who are the most peaceful among us. Yet they are the most hated by the world.
The propaganda regarding Jews, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and those who simply question the narrative are all despised. They go against the very ones who seek to destroy them. Not because they do anything brazenly to antagonize those in power, but because, by their charitable acts and love for others, they display an antithetical position from the ideology of those who have taken charge.
But these people are the light of hope. As they are persecuted, tortured, harassed, and killed, more are waiting in the wings to take their place. By nature, humans reject what is unreasonable. And to kill the meek is as difficult to accept as the torture and killing of a puppy. It makes no sense.
Man instinctively wants a better way…
Man seeks a life that has light burdens. The world offers none of that.
So people seek that which shows a life, not of ease, but of fulfillment. A life of purpose. A life filled with hope when all around them is falling apart.
That hope does still exist…
The little light of hope still springs strong within the heart of every human being. It shines in the midst of the darkest hour, glowing brightly the darker the surround.
That hope cannot lie in another man. He is frail and falls under the weight of the dark times.
Hope cannot lie in drugs, alcohol, meditations on “making yourself happy”, self-reliance, or even seeming movements pushing back against the tyrannical control overpowering the world.
The place of hope begins when man stops relying on himself. It begins with he relies on his Creator to see him through the darkness. A blind man cannot lead a blind man, but He Who is Light can penetrate the darkness.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, all things were made through him, and without him was anything made that was made. In him was light, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)
Find the Light…
Hope is a future state. It is not sure. It is not secure. Not in the way we think it should be. If it were, what would there be to hope for?
In darkness, where does hope lie? Can the failing plans of man bring hope to the world? Or perhaps in a future natural disaster that will bring the construct of the current political chaos to its knees?
No. Light alone can shine in darkness. Hope is Light. That Light is otherworldly. For nothing in the world has brought light of any kind to the deepest recesses of man’s longing heart.
That Light lies in the One Who created us.
And therein lies our Hope.
Fatima…
In 1917, apparitions of the Blessed Mother, Mary the earthly mother of Jesus, occurred. During one of those visions, she said that grave ills would afflict the world. In order to prevent them, she asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. The Pope was to convene with all the Bishops in the world to accomplish this request. A period of peace was to follow.
But why was Russia the target of her concern?
Because, from Russia, all the errors of atheism spread throughout the world. Atheism did not originate in China. But the Chinese perfected it.
There is speculation that all the Popes have all ignored Our Lady’s request. Pope John Paul II twice consecrated the world. But to prevent scandal among the Orthodox who joined him, he never specifically mentioned Russia.
And now, Russia is rattling war swords, threatening the world with unrest. Wheat, petroleum, and other consumables are now in short supply as the west tries to restrain the Bear by economic sanctions. Resulting rising prices for basic necessities affects the common man harder than those in power.
It always does.
The final victory…
“If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.” (apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, 1917)
Why Mary and not Jesus?
First and foremost,
This isn’t the “end of the world”. Of that time, we do not know the day or the hour.
“Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42-44, RSVCE)
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 15:1-13, RSCVE)
Secondly…
It is not an “either or” proposition. Without Mary saying “I Will” to God, there would be no Jesus. To her was given the honor of ushering in the Victor. Any victory over darkness that she has declared comes because of her obedience to God. The celebration of the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart is the victory that comes from her infinite love of God and her Son.
Her victory IS Jesus’ victory. She reflects her son as the moon reflects the sun.
Mary, the Promised Victor…
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15, RSCVE)
Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant. In her womb, she held the Son of God, the reliquary of God made flesh. She is revealed in the book of Revelation as the woman who brought forth the man child, and is shown wearing the crown with 12 stars. She represents the Church in all her glory. Without her, there would be no victory over the evil done in the Garden of Eden. Without her obedience, there would be no Christ.
She was made of unstained from sin. The early church fathers are replete with examples of this understanding.
Mary’s Role…
Mary has been recognized in her role of importance by the Church Fathers as early as 100s AD.
She was honored as the “Second Eve”:
“As Eve was seduced by the speech of an angel, so as to flee God in transgressing his word, so also Mary received the good tidings by means of the angel’s speech, so as to be God within her, being obedient to this word. And though the one had disobeyed God, yet the other was drawn to obey him; that of the virgin Eve, the virgin Mary might become the advocate and as by a virgin the human race had been bound to death, by a virgin it is saved, the balance being preserved- a virgin’s disobedience by a virgin’ obedience.” (Bishop of Lyons, “Against Heresies”, 3, 19 130 A.D.)
Her role of obedience gained victory over the wiles of the serpent:
“For whereas Eve, yet a virgin and undefiled, through conceiving the word that came from the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death; the Virgin Mary, taking faith and joy, when the Angel told her the good tidings that the Spirit of the Lord should come upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadow her, and therefore the Holy One to be born of her should be the Son of God, answered, Be it done to me according to thy word. And so by means of her was he born, concerning whom we have shown so many Scriptures were spoken; through whom God overthrows the serpent, and those angels and men who have become like to it, and on the other hand, works deliverance from death for such as repent of their evil doings and believe in him.” (Justin the Martyr (110-165 A.D.),Dialogue with Trypho, 100 A.D.)
Her Fiat brings a place of honor…
If there was not Mary’s “Fiat”, there would be no Jesus. Without Jesus, there would be no salvation. Without salvation, the doors to Heaven would remain shut fast. Absent of Mary’s obedience, victory over darkness would not exist.
God has honored Mary. She is our constant intercessor with her Son. She has his ear, just as a mother has the ear of her children.
Our victory is through Mary. Her act of obedience had assured this. By her obedience to God, she gained that victory.
“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph…” (apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, 1917)
Trust and pray…
Victory is ours. Trust that Mary, will in the end of all of this, triumph.
And trust in Jesus. Without Him, Mary would not triumph. For it is through people that God works. And Mary is the greatest of all humans. How could He not honor her who obeyed His request, bringing Light into this dark world?
We have been promised eternal life after we die But we have not been promised smooth sailing in this lifetime.
If we believe, then we have the promise that we will see Him. In that promise lies our hope. This hope that surpasses the darkness. It is the light that shines in the darkness. It is the victory that has come into the world. And the victory that is coming to pass.
Hope. Pray. Believe.
That is far more than the promises of man can ever bring.