Posts made in October, 2017

Is God Chastising Us?

Posted by popemichael on Oct 10, 2017 in Pope Michael, prophecy | 0 comments

First the Houston area gets his with Hurricane Harvey. At one point an area the size of Lake Michigan was flooded. Next Hurricane Irma hits Florida. Mexico gets hit with an 8.1 Earthquake. Then Hurricane Katie hit Mexico. And now Hurricane Jose is in the Atlantic being tracked.

Is God chastising North America for its sinfulness? Many speculate that God is chastising us for our sins, but whose sins?

Let us go to the book of Jonas. Read the first chapter and let us see who was being chastised and why. “And they said every one to his fellow: Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know why this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonas.” (Jonas 1:6) Jonas, the man God called upon to rebuke Nineve was the cause of the chastisement of this ship. And why was Jonas the cause? The reason is simple, Jonas was disobeying God. Instead of looking around at the sins of others like the Pharisee in the parable (Luke 18:10-14), we should look into our own hearts. Are we doing all God is asking of us? This is a good thing to think about tomorrow in your time of prayer. Let us come before God and ask Him straight out: “Lord, I desire to do Your will. If I am not where You want me to be, show me the path to Your holy will. Give me the strength to make whatever sacrifices You ask of me.” It would be good to follow with the Lord’s Prayer, putting an emphasis on the world Thy Will Be Done.

It would be good to open the Scriptures and read from the 19^th Chapter of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, verses 16 to 22. Meditate on the call Jesus gave to this man and his response. “Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me. And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:21-22) What obstacles are we placing between our own self and God’s holy will. The purpose of mortification is to remove all obstacles between our self and God’s will, especially in coming to Him in prayer and performing our work and duties. “And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:29) We all have things we need to pluck out of our lives. Let us come to God and ask Him to help us remove these obstacles to doing his will.

“And I sought among them for a man that might set up a hedge, and stand in the gap before me in favour of the land, that I might not destroy it: and I found none. And I poured out my indignation upon them, in the fire of my wrath I consumed them: I have rendered their way upon their own head, saith the Lord God.” (Ezechiel 22:30-31) God is looking for a few good men to set up that hedge. That is to come before Him and beg of Him to pour forth graces upon the land and its people and bring them to repentance and conversion.

Now has can we do this, if we have not repented and converted our own selves?

“We must first be purified and then purify others; be filled with wisdom and make others wise; become light and give light; be near to God and lead others to Him; be sanctified and sanctify; guide others by the hand and counsel them with knowledge.” (Saint Gregory Nanzianzen)

‘Christian’ is more than a name we give ourselves, it is a way of life; a life lived by the maxims of the Gospels. Many call themselves Christians, but deny Jesus Christ by their way of life. Among these are priests and bishops.

Let us consider Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 18:26-33) Abraham had God ready to withhold chastisement, if ten just men could be found in Sodom. In the next chapter we find only one just man in Sodom, Lot, who was told to leave town and not look back.

As in the days of Sodom, we deserve chastisement. And we deserve chastisement, because we are not just our own selves. None of us are setting up a hedge between God and the people.

Let us conclude that the current acts of God are a warning, just as Jonas warned Nineve. Will we imitate Nineve in their repentance or will we imitate Sodom in its obstinacy in sin? “And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.” (III Kings 18:21) We can no longer attempt to have one foot in the Church and another in the world. Jesus made it clear: “He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.” (Matthew 12:30) It is impossible to sit on the fence, for sitting on the fence is a decision to be against Christ.