The readings from this Sunday are somewhat apocalyptic.
The first reading we talk about Michael, the great prince.
At that time he will arise, the guardian of their people,
and there shall be a time unsurpassed and distressed since the nations began until that time.
That time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book.
But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament.
And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.
And then the gospel, of course, our Lord is referring to is 2 Corinthians.
Coming, but also to other comings, other days of the Lord,
when drastic things happen in the world, in the nations,
usually wars that happen, civil wars, cataclysms, things like that.
In those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Can stars fall from the sky?
Can the sun be darkened and the moon be darkened, literally?
No.
But these things were all indications of time,
that something is going to happen in a certain time.
Because in those days they told time through the sun and the moon and the stars.
So these things are going to be shaken.
Time is going to be shaken.
Something is going to happen.
And within...
Time.
And we should see the signs of the time,
when the second coming is going to come,
when the day of the Lord will come,
when our Lord is going to do something to rectify the situation in the world,
to correct the crimes that happen.
And this is really applicable to our times right now,
when there's so much moral corruption in the world,
so much moral corruption in the world,
and something has to be done to change the course of the world.
It's not just in the United States,
but in the whole world where abortion reigns,
where the homosexual agenda is gaining strength,
where godlessness is gaining strength.
They're saying atheists in the United States are up to 20%.
Where godlessness is reigning,
where God...
Jesus Christ is put out of public sphere,
public places.
You're not going to see as many this Christmas, I'm sure.
Christmas creches, probably won't see as many.
Maybe not as many deliberately religious Christmas songs this year.
Who knows what else is going to happen?
These things, these are the signs of the time.
Something is going to happen.
The election happened,
and now we have a leader who is...
promoting the culture of death.
And we all knew it.
We all knew it.
And yet still we chose it.
And something is going to happen.
Something is going to happen.
And we need to do something.
What are we going to do?
We're going to start an armed rebellion.
We're going to start a civil war.
We're going to go through the streets and scream and yell
and say,
this shouldn't be.
Is that what we're going to do?
We're going to...
start a revolution?
We're going to do these kinds of crazy things?
No.
We're going to look into our own heart.
We're going to change our own heart.
We're going to convert ourselves.
I'm going to convert myself.
You're going to convert yourself.
If you really want to do God's will.
If you want to answer this tragedy,
this tragic moral corruption of our day,
that's the response.
It is not to be too worried,
not to be too alarmed,
that the stars are going to fall from the sky.
The sun is going to get all blotted up.
Three days of darkness are going to be here.
No, we change our own heart.
That's what we have to do.
That's what the Jesuits used to say.
That's what Saint Ignatius used to say.
People come up to him and say,
this was during the Protestant Revolution,
where there's civil wars everywhere,
where there's revolution in the Catholic faith.
People are leaving in droves and apostasy and heresy everywhere.
And they're coming to,
what are we going to do?
This is just, this is terrible.
This is cataclysmic in our, in our day.
It's never happened before.
What are we going to do?
He said, change yourself, change yourself,
make a saint out of yourself,
and then you'll have a good start.
That's the beginning.
That's what we have to do.
Don't get all too worried about all these other things
and get concerned.
And I think our Lord allows these things to shake us up
and to say, this is what you should have been doing anyway.
You should have been sanctifying yourself,
going to Mass, praying more,
immersing yourself more in prayer and the Holy Mass
and the Holy Eucharist and confession frequently,
and loving God and loving Our Lady
and consecrating yourself to Our Lady more and more deeply.
These things we should be doing anyway,
but we need, in our human weakness,
we need things to shake us up.
And the powers in the heavens will be shaken,
the gospel says.
We need to be shaken by these things,
and we probably will be in the very near future.
They're predicting financial collapses.
You know, something's going to happen in the Near East,
probably within this year.
Things are already happening in Israel,
and the rise of all these things happening in the United States,
especially the great Satan,
we are called by the Arab nations.
We have a lot of enemies.
We don't have that many.
We don't have that many friends over in Europe.
People, Americans are not looked upon very kindly.
So we're going to be shaken, shaken.
And this will help us to purify and strengthen
and straighten out our own personal spiritual life.
That's what it is.
Not go searching around for things on the internet
to satisfy our curiosity,
to go searching for apparitions,
to find out the answers to what's going to happen in the future,
all this kind of temptation to respond in that way.
No, we go internal.
We sanctify, we purify,
and we straighten out our own spiritual life.
That's the answer.
That's the answer.
It comes down to that.
To draw closer to Our Lady,
pray the Rosary,
deepen and immerse ourselves in the Holy Rosary,
in Our Lady, in our consecration,
and to straighten out,
our spiritual life and confession.
Isn't that what the Bishop in Washington is telling us?
To go to confession.
Go to confession.
This is what we need is primarily
to straighten out our spiritual life,
to organize our spiritual life,
organize our prayer life,
organize our day-to-day activities
and what we're doing and what we shouldn't be doing,
to correct it,
get rid of occasions of sin
and put in their place occasions of virtue and prayer and charity,
kindness, time well spent.
This is what we are called to do.
All these alarming things should point just to that,
to our interior personal life.
And then we will be strong.
We will be leaders as our Lord is saying here.
First reading.
And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.
That's what's going to need to be done.
We need leaders out of the chaos.
When 9-11 happened, people were running through the streets.
Everybody's screaming, not knowing what to do.
There's chaos.
And what do you need when that happens?
You need leaders to bring people together,
to make them come to their senses,
to see things right,
to realize that God is in control.
Who's going to be the leaders?
Those who are spiritually set,
spiritually strong,
whose spiritual house is in order,
who have gone to confession,
who are ready for death,
who are ready to sacrifice themselves,
who are ready for all these things.
But of that day or hour, no one knows.
Neither the angels in heaven nor the Son,
but only the Father.
Nobody knows that.
We should be ready any day, every day, every day.
We be ready for the cataclysm that may come.
The crisis, the persecution.
And then we can lead the others and help them.
Help them how to deal with it.
Because a lot of people aren't going to be able to cope.
They're going to have mental breakdowns.
They're going to lose their minds.
They're going to not know what to do.
And they need somebody to help them.
Give them the consolation and the sight and the wisdom
and what to do to lead them.
And who's going to do that?
Only the Catholics.
Catholics because why?
Because they're Catholic?
No, because they're close to Our Lady
and they're close to Jesus.
The source of grace and wisdom and clarity
and knowledge and what to do.
And the strength.
The strength, the fortitude, the courage,
the bravery of Catholicism.
And all the saints who had it all,
we are to follow their example.
That's what we do in the times of alarm and crisis.
And difficulties.
We do.
And so we are to prepare.
Prepare for that.
Prepare for these things.
Not to give in to curiosity and alarm and worry.
But to come back to the sacraments.
Come to Our Lady.
To sanctify ourselves.
To make ourselves stronger in the faith.
To love God more.
To be full of the love of God.
This is where strength comes from anyway.
It comes only from love.
Love is strength.
Love is true strength and courage.
And willingness to sacrifice.
And we get love through the Eucharist.
Through Our Lady.
Through confession.
Through prayer.
To ask for that charity.
That love for God.
And to grow in it.
And to beg for it.
Because otherwise you can give in to pride.
And to think that I've got all the answers.
I'm going to be a hero.
No.
Love for God.
His glory.
Humility.
To give all the credit and glory to God.
To seek His glory.
To know that we are nothing.
To know that we can't do anything without God's grace.
Without His love.
His strength.
His help and guidance.
Humility and love are the guiding virtues through the difficulties of life.
The difficulties of this year.
Next year.
Whenever these collapses happen.
We will be ready to lead the others in serenity.
And calm.
And surety.
And strength.
And clarity.
That's what we need when these things happen.
Not chaos and yelling and screaming.
And that's what we need.
That's what we need.
So let's pray for that.
Through Our Lady.
Through the Holy Rosary.
To be ready.
To be ready today and tomorrow.
And more and more ready.
And ask Our Lady to lead us and guide us.
And to act in us.
With us.
Through us.
To be Our Lady in the midst of this world.
Because we know that it is Our Lady that's going to take us through the difficult times here.
Until the end of the world.
Our Lady is going to do it.
We need to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In the world.
In my heart.
And in your heart.
So let us cling to Our Lady.
Draw closer.
Closer to her.
And we have nothing to worry about as the future comes upon us.
And we work together.
With life in our lives.
Together, our Lord, the Holy All-Mighty, which You have given to us.
So everything that we do, in Your control and that we accumulate here, entertainment and
and出来.
Are we present in Your Word.
Are we given rights to choose the brands that we produce, find differences.