Thought for the Day – 17 December – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
Meditations for Advent
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
The Signs of His Coming
+1. One of the signs of the Second Coming of Our Lord being nigh at hand, will be that no-one will expect it.
All the world will be satisfied that things will go on as hitherto for many a century and they will ask – “Where is the promise of His Coming?”
In this too, the life of the individual is often a miniature of the history of the world. Christ comes again to many an nexpecting
soul when sudden death, through some accident or nsuspected disease, carries off, in a moment, the man who thought he had long years to live.
“Blessed is he whom his Lord, when He cometh shall find watching.”
+2. Another warning of Our Lord’s approach will be the coming of Antichrist.
He will be one, whose authority and power will be a counterfeit of the Vicar of Christ. His distinguishing marks will be overweening pride, hatred of the Catholic Church, widespread dominion, spirit of rebellion which will enlist, in his service, all who revolt against the authority which comes from God . Examine yourself to see if there lurks in you, any of this dislike of lawful authority and pray for the grace of loyalty to men, for God’s sake.
+3. Before Our Lord’s Coming, there will be a terrible persecution of he servants of God.
In these days, when there is an ever-increasing spirit of tolerance, it is difficult to understand this.
But under the spirit of what is called ‘religious liberalism or ecumenism!‘ lurks a deadly hatred of the Church of Christ. It breaks out from time to time, as in the French Commune. It slumbers but now it blazes up again.
Pray for grace to withstand all the assaults of the persecutor!
AnaStpaul 