Three sins of the end

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Some of you saw, a few days ago, on the news that the Royals of Spain were attacking the angry people of Valencia. They threw mud and stones at the royal committee. Why were they so angry? Because a sudden flood caused hundreds of deaths, and their claim was: Why didn’t they prevent us from the disaster? And today, our Lord is announcing the great calamity. We are heading toward the end of the year, and the liturgy focuses on the end of times, the Dies Irae, the Day of Wrath.

We cannot claim to our Lord Jesus Christ, since the prophets, and for two thousand years, He has given us the signs so that this disaster will not surprise us unprepared.

What is the end of time?

An integral part of our faith that we confess each Sunday:

“At the end He will come to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Are we close to the end of times? Certainly, we are closer than yesterday. Just like today I am closer to my death than yesterday. We have to be prepared, for that day will not find us unprepared.

What signs are appearing in our time?

Wars? Natural disasters? Pandemics? Famine?

1. Calling good to Evil.

When the serpent appeared to Eve, he told her that sin was good for her. Today, sin is presented as something good.

“Ah! Those who call evil good, and good evil, who change darkness to light, and light into darkness, who change bitter to sweet, and sweet into bitter!” — Isaiah 5:20

A Protestant pastor summarized this:

“In today’s society, materialism is idolized, immorality is glamorized, truth is minimized, sin is normalized, divorce is rationalized, and abortion is legalized. In TV and movies, crime is legitimized, drug use is minimized, comedy is vulgarized, sex is trivialized, the Bible is fictionalized, churches are satirized, God is marginalized, and Christians are demonized. The elderly are dehumanized, the sick are euthanized, the poor are victimized, the mentally ill are ostracized, immigrants are stigmatized, and children are tranquilized. In families around the world, our manners are uncivilized, speech is vulgarized, faith is secularized, and everything is commercialized. “Unfortunately, Christians, you and I are often disorganized and demoralized, our faith is compartmentalized, and our witness is compromised.” — Rick Warren

And more recently, Pope Benedict XVI said:

“Modern society is in the middle of formulating an anti-Christian creed, and if one opposes it, one is being punished by society with excommunication. ‘The fear of this spiritual power of the Antichrist is then only more than natural, and it really needs the help of prayers on the part of an entire diocese and of the Universal Church in order to resist it.’”

“People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, cruel, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power.” — 2 Timothy 3:2

So if someone tells you, "This is no longer a sin," remember that the first lie was from the Evil One. The word of God never changes.

2. Urgent call to attend to the Mercy of God.

“(My daughter) Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable 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 fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them.” — Diary, 848

He said: “Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice…”

Sacred Heart Devotion She said, "I understand that the devotion to the Sacred Heart is a last effort of His Love towards the Christians of these latter days, by offering them an object and means so calculated to persuade them to love Him."

“Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy.”

This is how God has worked throughout history. To Israel, He sent prophets, and for the last time, His Son announces the mercy. They did not accept it, and then Jerusalem was destroyed.

3. The Last Thing: The Presence of Mother Mary

“Mary’s power over the evil spirits will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lie in wait for her heel, that is, for her humble servants and her poor children whom she will rouse to fight against him. In the eyes of the world, they will be little and poor, but they will be rich in God’s graces, which will be abundantly bestowed on them by Mary.”

Never in history have we had such interventions from Mother Mary.

Mexico — a whole continent turned to God. Lourdes, Fatima.

And always the same message: repent, do penance, pray the Rosary.

Brothers, this sermon is not to instill fear. It is to help you see the signs of disaster, so that that day will not surprise you.

The mercy of God is open. When you enter here, you will see a light — the light of confession and repentance. If you do not enter through the door of mercy, God will call you through the door of justice.

The issue is now clear. It is between light and darkness, and everyone must choose his side. — G.K. Chesterton (Chesterton’s last words)