“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests): churches and altars will be sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”
Message of the Blessed Mother, Akita, Japan, October 13, 1973
The message of Akita is approved by the Catholic Church. It was given to an ill Japanese nun who bore the stigmata by the name of Sister Agnes Sasagawa. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) under Pope John Paul II, who read the Third Secret of Fatima, said, “The messages of Fatima and Akita are essentially the same.”
The collective messages of Akita are arguably the most severe to humanity and the consequences of sin in the history of the Church. This one aspect of the message above we see in the daily press around the world. Many people believe the Church has had a silent schism going on now for approximately two generations. There are some priests with a wink and a nod “father friendly” have allowed their parishioners to cherry pick what they choose to follow. If one priest is not amenable to a certain doctrine, the individual can simply travel to another neighboring parish and find another priest who will allow them to feel comfortable with their views on just about any subject.
However, with Pope Francis we now see the battle more in the open. Many can see the whites of the eyes no matter where one stands on any issue. Thus, the vitriol and division not seen for ages is presently in the pews of the world. There is little charity and tolerance one for the other—-and it is building faster and more ferocious than ever before. Some people who have had a hidden agenda contrary to Church teaching are now brazenly flaunting their views. This confusion and lack of discipline has not been seen for as long as one can remember. Woe and behold if one disagrees with another who promotes a homosexual agenda as you will be banished to the marshlands and considered intolerant. Don’t expect a Christmas card or dinner invitation if you express a view not their own.
The Reformation five hundred years ago was fought principally over doctrine. The division we see today is being fought over morals. Even the Reformers didn’t try to change the words of Scripture, yet that is precisely what is going on now. Sister Lucia of Fatima said before she died that the last battle in the Church would be fought over marriage and family. We are now in that battle and it is separating the men from the boys. Those who truly uphold Magisterial teaching, and those who want a watered down faith to conform to the culture of the day are engaging in a great spiritual war.
We presently have cardinals and bishops in the U.S., and other world cities not only allowing in stealth an LGBT agenda, but actually promoting it. Speakers and advocates were the leading crusaders for homosexual rights throughout the land. It was not a convocation for shrinking violets, but the bold and bolder now openly promoting a godless and anti-Scripture agenda. Cardinal Muller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Francis said, “Dubia Cardinals raise legitimate questions.”
I am reminded of the onslaught of the Jews in Germany and Europe prior to, and during, World War II. Jews all over the world after the war wondered how the holocaust could have happened. Historians wrote in amazement there was no early uprising with the signs around European Jews pointing to what inevitably happened. History tells us people of good will found it unfathomable that any nation or race could ever do something as heinous and so in the open. Jews being driven to the gas chambers said, “Can this be happening? It is not possible.” There was a complete denial of the facts in spite of what had been going on for a generation in Germany with a complete loss of faith that started with brain washing the youth on the humanistic philosophies of George Hegel and Friedrich Nietzsche. Win the youth, win the country. The USA and the West have been indoctrinated by godless philosophies and have been brought down morally by the breakdown of solid teaching on marriage and family. This has been a huge agenda of practical atheism. If a nation removes God from the classroom, the state can then easily manipulate the profession of teaching.
Each day we see the news, there is a thought going through everyone’s mind: Can you top this? Did you see the news today? Is this really happening with the moral decay in our culture? Where does it stop? Where does this end?
The answer is, it does not stop until courageous people express the truth rather than accepting the moral slide as inevitable. The problem is, most people lack the conviction to speak up for fear of what others think.
As Timothy wrote to the faithful, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. Avoid such godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. “ II Tim. 15-16.
Jesus, I Trust in You