Christ the King
God has absolutely no need for man. Omnipresent and omnipotent, uncreated and eternal, the culmination of perfection, God exists perfectly unto Himself. Yet as God is Love, He created man for the sake of love. Even when man rejected God through sin, God still chose to redeem Him by sending Himself to rescue man from his evil ways.
Last Sunday was the Feast Day of Christ the King. It is for Catholics like what Rosh Hashanah is to the Jews, except it marks the end of the Catholic Liturgical Year as opposed to the start of the new year. This particular day was also important this year for another reason, because it marked the end of the year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis.
The logo for the year of mercy
I wrote about this earlier this year. In an unprecedented act in Catholic history, Pope Francis declared this past liturgical year a "year of mercy" in which the mercy of God was to be emphasized and with that, special privelages traditionally reserved solely to the pope or bishops were extended to the diocesan priests as well as certain other dispensations given to the faithful should they choose to partake of them through prayer and fasting.
Mercy, as I wrote previously, is one attribute of the nature of God, which is love. Its sister attribute is Justice, and the two must go together. Mercy and Justice are inseparable from each other because together they define the nature of love, for love without mercy is legalism while love without justice is license, and both are sins. Since God is perfect and the summation of all creation, He is absolute Love, meaning that He is perfect mercy as well as perfect justice, and He dispenses of His judgments perfectly. God is the standard and His decision is final.
This year as we here at Shoebat.com were documenting the horrors of Islam and the rise of evil ideas in political parties in the West which proclaim they are dedicated to stopping the Muslims but in reality are almost no different in their intentions of what they would do if they took power, we noticed a disturbing trend towards National Socialism. We witnessed the old communist evils, speaking proverbially, take off its clothes and put on a new suit with a new haircut while remaining the same person inside. We see it as part of a larger plan with the Muslims- to use the Muslims as a political weapon to destabilize Europe and America and upon creating chaos, to offer National Socialism as a substitute. This plot has been centrally organized in Germany, but has also seen the help of her former and still modern allies in Turkey and Japan. This fits into a larger plot, which is the revival of the eugenics movement and ultimately, a war on God and the Catholic Church by heretics (remember, Islam is a heresy) and men who hate God.
Nationalism is on the rise. Russia and Germany are aggressively poised against each other. The Axis Powers are reuniting. History is repeating itself, and the political and social climate which brought about World War I and World War II is rapidly morphing into World War III.
This brings me to two more points. First, as I have written extensively about, it comes at a time of the 100th anniversary of the great Catholic prophecy about Fatima which I have written about. Second, because it is the end of the year of mercy, and given that the conditions for a Second World War are approaching, it is eerily similar to a great Catholic Saint who lived before World War II and is called the apostle of Mercy- she is a person who I have also written about, and that is St. Faustina Kowalska.
St. Faustina's picture of Jesus in Divine Mercy
St. Faustina was known for receiving messages from Jesus about Divine Mercy, and per her words, all of which have been approved by the Church, she reported the following things:
You will prepare the world for My final coming. (Diary 429)
Speak to the world about My mercy ... It is a sign for the end times. After it will come the Day of Justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fountain of My mercy. (Diary 848)
Tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near. (Diary 965)
I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of sinners. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation. (Diary 1160)
Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy. (Diary 1588)
He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice. (Diary 1146).
You have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for granting mercy. (Diary 635).
As I mentioned above, God is love and love is mercy and justice. In the Bible, mercy always precedes justice. As such, if she is the apostle of Divine Mercy, then logically what must be coming next?
Divine Justice?
Could it not come at a better time? The world is on the edge of a third world war, something which was alluded to in the Fatima messages. The 'year of mercy' just ended. Christianity is being rejected in the West and in many ways worldwide or is being heavily persecuted and becoming worse. The light of the Faith is Faith is even being attacked by witihin Her own Church.
I am not saying the world is going to end- that is known to God alone. I am saying that we should be VERY watchful and prepare ourselves accordingly, for we do not know the day or the hour, but anybody who has eyes to see and ears to hear can tell that something major is fast approaching. The time of mercy is running out like sand in an hourglass, and a great hour of justice draws near.
Do you think you are ready? Tell me,
Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Are you sure and would you bet your life on it?
Do you forgive others and treat them with mercy and justice? Would others say that about you?
Do you really practice and believe the Faith? If you were asked to apostatize or die, what would you truly choose?
These are just a few questions to think about.
God is VERY merciful, but His mercy is not to be abused or treated irreverently. Think about it- if you gave your life for somebody, and they did not care and even treated you with contempt, how would you feel?
Image of a wildfire
In addition to God's mercy, consider also that many other people today are suffering terribly, even in our own country. For example, right now there are horrible fires raging in the area between North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee- many people have been evacuated and are losing their homes, and possibly entire towns are being destroyed as thousands of fire fighters across the country are trying, with limited success, to contain the fires. Indeed, to have thanksgiving at home with family and have peace of mind is also a great mercy from God to be thankful for.
This Thanksgiving, enjoy your food and time with family and friends. As you eat your dinner, remember the great mercy that God has shown you, and be thankful for all that you have- the good and the bad, your friends and your enemies, your blessings and your burdens- for God either gives or allows to happen only that which will be beneficial to us because he loves us. Paraphrasing the words of the great Catholic St. Juan de Ribera, God is the great doctor who gives one medicine to one and takes it away from another as he knows what cure is best for each persons particular disease caused by sin.
Be grateful for all, especially God's mercy, for a time is approaching when one day there will be no more mercy- only justice. Will you be ready?
Just think about that, and have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.
The Dies Irae, or Day of Wrath. The picture is The Last Judgment by Hans Memling.
Never forget the four last things: Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven.
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