Posted on 06/22/2019 3:25:07 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
It’s been said that the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. In a similar vein, the greatest trick the anti-Christ will pull will be to convince men he is the savior of the world instead of its destroyer, according to a powerful radio sermon given by Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1947 that was dug up out of a digital archive and published on YouTube last week.
Like the devil, whose trademark signature is to twist the truth to sell sin, so the anti-Christ, according to Sheen, will twist the minds of men to make them believe he is the “Great Humanitarian” who will “talk peace, prosperity and plenty.”
While Sheen’s description of the anti-Christ was given almost 70 years ago, his words may be more pertinent in our own times than they were in his. His prophetic message is absolutely crucial for every sincere Christian who seeks to be faithful to Christ to the end. He states:
The anti-Christ will not be so called, otherwise he would have no followers. He will wear no red tights, nor vomit sulphur, nor carry a spear nor wave an arrowed tail as Mephistopheles in Faust.
Nowhere in Sacred Scripture do we find warrant for the popular myth of the devil as a buffoon who is dressed like the first “red.” Rather is he described as a fallen angel, and as “the Prince of this world” whose business it is to tell us that there is no other world. His logic is simple: if there is no heaven there is no hell; if there is no hell, there is no sin; if there is no sin, there is no judge, and if there is no judgement then evil is good and good is evil.
But above all these descriptions, Our Lord tells us that He will be so much like Himself, that he would deceive even the elect – and certainly no devil we have ever seen in picture books could deceive even the elect. How will he come in this new age to win followers to his religion?
[Signs of the anti-Christ:]
In the midst of all his seeming love for humanity and his glib talk of freedom and equality, he will have one great secret which he will tell to no one; he will not believe in God. And because his religion will be brotherhood without the fatherhood of God, he will deceive even the elect.
He will set up a counter-Church, which will be the ape of the Church because, he the devil, is the ape of God. It will be the mystical body of the anti-Christ that will in all externals resemble the Church as the mystical body of Christ. In desperate need for God, he will induce modern man, in his loneliness and frustration, to hunger more and more for membership in his community that will give man enlargement of purpose, without any need of personal amendment and without the admission of personal guilt. These are days in which the devil has been given a particularly long rope.
Sheen states that he raises his concerns about the anti-Christ, not because he fears for the survival of the Catholic Church, but because of the devastation the anti-Christ will bring upon those who have no faith.
“It is not infallibility we are worried about, but the world’s lapse into fallibility; we tremble not that God may be dethroned, but that barbarism may reign; it is not Transubstantiation that may perish, but the home; not the sacraments that may fade away, but the moral law.”
Sheen has confidence that since the Church has survived other great crises in her centuries of existence, “she will live to sing a requiem over the evils of the present.”
“The Church may have its Good Fridays but these are only preludes to its Easter Sundays, for the Divine Promise shall never be made void: ‘. . . and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.’ (Matthew 28:20) ”
“Never before in history has there been such a strong argument for the need of Christianity, for men are now discovering that their misery and their woes, their wars and their revolutions increase in direct ratio and proportion to the neglect of Christianity. Evil is self defeating; good alone is self-preserving,” he stated.
Sheen urged his hearers to take concrete action against the evils of the day by tapping into the spiritual resources given by God for battle.
As Christians we must realize that a moment of crisis is not a time of despair, but of opportunity. We were born in crisis, in defeat – the Crucifixion. Once we recognize we are under Divine Wrath, we become eligible for Divine Mercy. The very disciplines of God create hope. The thief on the right came to God by a crucifixion.
[What Catholics must do to survive the evil day:]
18 minute YouTube video of Fulton Sheen here
Well guess who did?!
Pray to Our Lady, saying to her: It was to you as the Woman that was given the power to crush the head of the serpent who lied to men that they would be like unto gods.
And notice he continues to repeat the false belief it was Mary being referenced in Genesis 3:15.
And why do we know this is incorrect?
The sentence against the first parents was accompanied by the Earliest Gospel (Proto-evangelium), which put enmity between the serpent and the woman: "and I will put enmity between thee and the woman and her seed; she (he) shall crush thy head and thou shalt lie in wait for her (his) heel" (Genesis 3:15). The translation "she" of the Vulgate is interpretative; it originated after the fourth century, and cannot be defended critically. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm
But does this stop Roman Catholicism from their error??
Nope.
Ummmmmm....now contrast with what Paul had to say in fighting spiritual battles.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
15and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Ephesians 6:10-18 NASB
The overwhelming emphasis in this very repetitive prayer is TO Mary.
IIRC there are over 50 prayers directed TO Mary.
Like a little toddler saying "I love you Mommy, kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss "(repeated ad libitum).
Or like the holy Winged Ones of heaven, "Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.”
Or like the Holy Spirit, who comes and dwells within us, and who prays unceasingly. It is not math. It is not a numbers game. It is not vain repetition. It is devotion.
We invoke Mary, and all the angels and saints, because we are all praying together This is called the Communion of Saints, the Body of Christ.
In the Rosary, we are not just saying words, we are loving God with our whole mind. The *whole* mind.
Please understand, that includes several levels of the brain: the automatic part, which starts to say the words habitually, like the bass line in an ensemble; and the intellect, which is then free from distraction and able to meditate on the events of the Life of Our Lord --- thus having fellowship with Him and "taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ."
It is wonderful to pray this way, with Mary and the angels and saints, ALL of us centered on Jesus our Head, our King and our God.
You’re sure about the /s tag, are you?
The Hail Mary is not praying WITH Mary, it’s praying TO her.
“Sheen states that he raises his concerns about the anti-Christ, not because he fears for the survival of the Catholic Church, but because of the devastation the anti-Christ will bring upon those who have no faith.”
“He will set up a counter-Church, which will be the ape of the Church because, he the devil, is the ape of God. It will be the mystical body of the anti-Christ that will in all externals resemble the Church as the mystical body of Christ. In desperate need for God, he will induce modern man, in his loneliness and frustration, to hunger more and more for membership in his community that will give man enlargement of purpose, without any need of personal amendment and without the admission of personal guilt. These are days in which the devil has been given a particularly long rope.”
“Signs of Anti-Christ:
“He will invoke religion to destroy religion. “
We have seen them in society as they follow the ways of the world and lead many away from Christ and His Church. We even have some in the Catholic Church (more than just personal sins).
The evil day of the anti-Christ may already be here, and not just one individual anti-christ(devil), but the consensus of society through a party, such as democrats, the abortion issue or those falling away from the Truth of Jesus and the Catholic faith by many. The Blessed Mother has warned us that God is very disappointed and we may see His retribution.
As Catholics, we continue to believe in Truth of Jesus as given to the Catholic church and fully participate in the Mass and the Sacraments. As a community of Catholic faith, our prayers and works make us stronger.
As Jesus told us, we must endure till the end.
This is false dogma, friend.
Or like the holy Winged Ones of heaven, "Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.”
Yes...but not sung to Mary.
And you will recall he was entrusted with Mary's care.
It is amazing how descriptive John wrote about what he saw in Heaven....and not one mention of Mary.
NOT. ONE. WORD. ABOUT. HER.
Or like the Holy Spirit, who comes and dwells within us, and who prays unceasingly. It is not math. It is not a numbers game.
Yes...it is the Holy Spirit Who is Advocate and Who is praying unceasingly for us as Paul wrote in Romans 8:26-27.
For Mary to be able to handle the prayer load the Holy Spirit does, she has to be equal in ability to the spirit...hence, she has goddess-like powers. She is called Advocatrix by Roman Catholicism.
Here's the math:
1.3 billion Catholics/86,400 seconds in a day = 15,197 prayers a second Mary has to be able to understand and answer if every Roman Catholic said one prayer a day to Mary.
It is not vain repetition. It is devotion.
If said correctly, there are 57 “Hail Marys”, which is a prayer TO Mary, plus one “Hail Holy Queen”, compared to six “Our Fathers”. The “Hail Mary” is a false prayer with a little bit of Scripture mixed in to make it appealing to the reciter. Scripture warns against vain repetition in prayer in Matthew 6:7.
And, it is beyond mere devotion as Roman Catholics attempt to downplay just exactly how prominent Mary is in the life of the Roman Catholic.
It is wonderful to pray this way, with Mary and the angels and saints, ALL of us centered on Jesus our Head, our King and our God.
Except as illustrated, much of the Roman Catholic's prayer life, indeed, their total life is seemingly "devoted" to Mary.
I have compared some of Liguori's writings to Scripture.
Before you attempt to dismiss Liguori, as you like to do with Roman Catholics who disagree with your version of Roman Catholicism, I remind you he was canonized in 1839 by Gregory XVI and declared a "Doctor of the Church" by Pius IX in 1871.
| The Glories of Mary | Scripture | |
| Lady in heaven, we have but one advocate, and that is thyself, and thou alone art truly loving and solicitous for our salvation. | 5For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Tim 2:5 |
|
| But that she is so, is evident from the fact, that whatever the Mother asks for, the Son never denies her; and this was revealed to Saint Bridget. | 14This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 Jn 5:14 |
|
| Saint Anselm says, ‘that as it is impossible for one who is not devout to Mary, and consequently not protected by her, to be saved,. | 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. Jn 10:27-28 |
|
| St. Bonaventure notes: In thee, O Lady, have I placed all my hopes; and thus I confidently trust that I shall never be lost, but praise and love thee for ever in heaven | 9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; Rm 10:9 |
|
| Saint Andrew of Crete, calls Mary, ‘a pledge, a security for our reconciliation with God.’, | …you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, … Eph 1:13-14 |
|
Scripture is crystal clear on this last point, and the others.
Our salvation is ONLY IN CHRIST....no one else.
Roman Catholics would do well to remember the words of Isaiah:
"I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8 NASB
Roman Catholics do not see it....but they have already bought into the deception with their "devotion" to Mary.
Reliance upon anyone other than Christ for your salvation is part of the deception.
“And even more astounding, the lack of huge push-back from the bishops.”
Was there any “huge push-back” from the bishops to the destruction of the liturgy 50 years ago, other than a few notoriously outspoken ones? I actually don’t know. There should have been.
I see the post- Vatican II “conflagration” of the liturgy and then the reign of Papa Francisco, the great papal imposter, as parts 1 and 2 of the end times run-up of the Catholic Church.
P.S. like another commenter, I watched the Ven. Fulton Sheen as a child, probably reruns in the 60s. My parents took me to their cabin on weekends, where I was always bored, but found it much easier to pass 30 minutes or an hour watching his show, although probably wasn’t actually paying much attention to what he was saying, more to his gentle and friendly manner.
The Catholic Church (like most of churches) has been compromised by Satinisms. Those being socialism, liberalism, and communism!
Amen,thank-you, and God Bless.
LOL ... should they go say fifty hail Mary’s in penance?
Sheen's words sound so convincing, until you try to square them with what the Word of God teaches regarding the True Church, The Body of Christ made up of all believers alive and dead who will be transformed in a moment int he twinkling of an eye when The Lord Christ comes to the first heaven and calls us up into the clouds to return to The Father's House before the Tribulation!
But perhaps he is onto something! The Catholic religion will remain intact after the One True Church is removed, so just don't take the mark which will be commanded to you then.
“But does this stop Roman Catholicism from their error??”
Thanks for the link, but you stopped reading too soon. Immediately following is:
The conqueror from the seed of the woman, who should crush the serpent’s head, is Christ; the woman at enmity with the serpent is Mary. God puts enmity between her and Satan in the same manner and measure, as there is enmity between Christ and the seed of the serpent. Mary was ever to be in that exalted state of soul which the serpent had destroyed in man, i.e. in sanctifying grace. Only the continual union of Mary with grace explains sufficiently the enmity between her and Satan. The Proto-evangelium, therefore, in the original text contains a direct promise of the Redeemer, and in conjunction therewith the manifestation of the masterpiece of His Redemption, the perfect preservation of His virginal Mother from original sin.
So for Mary to be born sinless her mother would have to be too, and her mother before her? ... sounds like feminism writ twisted and in full.
You will never get the teacher of the other religion to admit it is praying TO their mary.
“Signs of Anti-Christ:
“He will invoke religion to destroy religion.”
What’s the name of that website from which you cut and paste, please? I knew it once, but can’t remember.
Minimum. She likes repetition.
I'm just covering all the bases. Trying to be all things to all people. Now I'm sounding like a politician.
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