The Prophetic Ratzinger

In 1969 Fr. Joseph Ratzinger gave a series of interviews on the future of the Church.  These interviews can be found in the book Faith and the Future by Ignatius Press.  The following comes from Vultus Christi:

The future of the Church can and will issue from those whose roots are deep and who live from the pure fullness of their faith. It will not issue from those who accommodate themselves merely to the passing moment or from those who merely criticize others and assume that they themselves are infallible measuring rods; nor will it issue from those who take the easier road, who sidestep the passion of faith, declaring false and obsolete, tyrannous and legalistic, all that makes demands upon men, that hurts them and compels them to sacrifice themselves. 

To put this more positively: The future of the Church, once again as always, will be reshaped by saints, by men, that is, whose minds probe deeper than the slogans of the day, who see more than others see, because their lives embrace a wider reality. Unselfishness, which makes men free, is attained only through the patience of small daily acts of self-denial. By this daily passion, which alone reveals to a man in how many ways he is enslaved by his own ego, by this daily passion and by it alone, a man’s eyes are slowly opened. He sees only to the extent that he has lived and suffered. If today we are scarcely able any longer to become aware of God, that is because we find it so easy to evade ourselves, to flee from the depths of our being by means of the narcotic of some pleasure or other. Thus our own interior depths remain closed to us. If it is true that a man can see only with his heart, then how blind we are! 

How does all this affect the problem we are examining? It means that the big talk of those who prophesy a Church without God and without faith is all empty chatter. We have no need of a Church that celebrates the cult of action in political prayers. It is utterly superfluous. Therefore, it will destroy itself. What will remain is the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church that believes in the God who has become man and promises us life beyond death. The kind of priest who is no more than a social worker can be replaced by the psychotherapist and other specialists; but but the priest who is no specialist; who does not stand on the sidelines, watching the game, giving official advice, but in the name of God places himself at the disposal of men, who is beside them in their sorrows, in their joys, in their hope and in their fear, such a priest will certainly be needed in the future. 

Let us go a step farther. From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge a Church that has lost much She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes, so will she loose many of her social privileges. In contrast to an earlier age, she will be seen much more as a voluntary society, entered only by free decision . As a small society, she will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members. Undoubtedly she will discover new forms of ministry and will ordain to the priesthood approved Christians who pursue some profession. In many smaller congregations or in self-contained social groups, pastoral care will normally be provided in this fashion. Along-side this, the full-time ministry of the priesthood will be indispensable as formerly. But in all of the changes at which one might guess, the Church will find her essence afresh and with full conviction in that which was always at her center: faith in the triune God, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, in the presence of the Spirit until the end of the world. In faith and prayer she will again recognize the sacraments as the worship of God and not as a subject for liturgical scholarship. 

The Church will be a more spiritual Church, not presuming upon a political mandate, flirting as little with the Left as with the Right. It will be hard-going for the Church, for the process of crystallization and clarification will cost her much valuable energy. It will make her poor and cause her to become the Church of the meek. The process will be all the more arduous, for sectarian narrow-mindedness as well as pompous self-will will have to be shed. One may predict that all of this will take time. The process will be long and wearisome as was the road from the false progressivism on the eve of the French Revolution — when a bishop might be thought smart if he made fun of dogmas and even insinuated that the existence of God was by no means certain — to the renewal of the nineteenth century. But when the trial of this sifting is past, a great power will flow from a more spiritualized and simplified Church. Men in a totally planned world will find themselves unspeakably lonely. If they have completely lost sight of God, they will feel the whole horror of their poverty. Then they will discover the little flock of believers as something wholly new. They will discover it as a hope that is meant for them, an answer for which they have always been searching in secret. 

And so it seems certain to me that the Church is facing very hard times. The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals. But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult, which is dead already, but the Church of faith. She may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that she was until recently; but she will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as man’s home, where he will find life and hope beyond death.

A Prophecy from Father Michael Scanlan, TOR

This is a prophecy given to Fr. Michael Scanlan back in 1980.  It seems directed more to our current situation in the Church and in the world.  The following comes from In God's Company 2:

The Lord God says “Hear my Word.” The time that has been marked by my blessings and gifts is being replaced now by a period to be marked by my judgment and purification. What I have not accomplished by blessings and gifts, I will accomplish by judgment and purification. My people, my church is desperately in need of this judgment. They have continued in an adulterous relationship with the spirit of this world. They are not only infected with sin, but they teach sin, pamper sin, embrace sin, dismiss sin…Leadership unable to handle it…fragmentation, confusion throughout the ranks. Satan goes where he will and infects who he will. He has free access throughout my people and I will not stand for this.

My people specially blessed in this renewal are more under the spirit of the world than they are under the Spirit of my baptism. They are more determined with fear for what others will think of them, fears of failure and rejection in the world, loss of respect by neighbors and superiors and those around them than they are by fear of me and fear of infidelity to my word. Therefore your situation is very weak. Your power is so limited. You cannot be considered at this point in the center of the battle and the conflict that is going on.

So this time is now come upon all of you – a time of judgment and of purification. Sin will be called sin. Satan will be unmasked. Fidelity will be held up for what it is and should be. My faithful servants will be seen and will come together. They will not be many in number. It will be a difficult and a necessary time. There will be collapse, difficulties throughout the world, but – more to the issue – there will be purification and persecution among my people. You will have to stand for that you believe. You will have to choose between the world and me. You will have to choose what word you will follow and who you will respect. And in that choice what has not been accomplished by the time of blessing and gifts will be accomplished. What has not been been accomplished in the baptism and the flooding of gifts of my Spirit will be accomplished in a baptism of fire. The fire will move among you individually, corporately, in groups and around the world. I will not tolerate the situation that is going on. I will not tolerate the mixture and the adulterous treating of gifts and graces and blessings with infidelity, sin, and prostitution. My time is now among you. What you need to do is to come before me in total submission to my word, in total submission to my plan. In the total submission of this hour, what you need to do is to drop the things that are your own, the things of the past. What you need to do is to see yourselves and those whom you have responsibility for in the light of this hour of judgment and purification. You need to see them in that way and do for them what will best help them to stand strong and be among my faithful servants.

For there will be casualties. It will not be easy, but it is necessary. It is necessary that my people be in fact my people, that my church be in fact my church, and that my Spirit in fact bring forth the purity of life, purity and fidelity to the gospel.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on the Church of the Future

“Let me go one step further. From today’s crisis, a Church will emerge tomorrow that will have lost a great deal. She will be small and, to a large extent, will have to start from the beginning. She will no longer be able to fill many of the buildings created in her period of great splendor. Because of the smaller number of her followers, she will lose many of her privileges in society. Contrary to what has happened until now, she will present herself much more as a community of volunteers....

"As a small community, she will demand much more from the initiative of each of her members and she will certainly also acknowledge new forms of ministry and will raise up to the priesthood proven Christians who have other jobs. In many smaller communities, respectively in social groups with some affinity, the normal care of souls will take place in this way....

"There will be an interiorized Church, which neither takes advantage of its political mandate nor flirts with the left or the right. This will be achieved with effort because the process of crystallization and clarification will demand great exertion. It will make her poor and a Church of the little people.... All this will require time. The process will be slow and painful.... 

(J. Ratzinger, Faith and the Future).

Depending on Providence

The following comes from Mark Mallett:

THESE are the days of Elijah, that is, the hour of a prophetic witness being called forth by the Holy Spirit. It is going to take on many facets—from the fulfillment of apparitions, to the prophetic witness of individuals who “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation… shine like lights in the world.” [1] Here I am not speaking only of the hour of “prophets, seers, and visionaries”—though that is part of it—but of every day people like you and me.

Perhaps you are saying, “Who, me?” Yes, you, and here’s why: as the darkness gets darker, so too, our witness as Christians is going to be forced into the open. One will no longer be able to sit on the fence of compromise. Either you will shine with the light of Christ, or out of fear and self-preservation, hide that light beneath a bushel basket. But remember St. Paul’s warning: “if we deny Him, He will deny us”, [2]but also Christ’s reassurance: “everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.” [3]

Thus, Jesus says with joy:

You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (Today’s Gospel)

And so, let me straight away repeat the words of St. John Paul II: “BE NOT AFRAID.” There is a strong spirit of fear that has been loosed into the world [4] that is operating under the guise of “tolerance”, but in truth, is a bully. Anyone who disagrees with the “new agenda” is being met more and more with violent words or actions. But don’t be intimidated by this spirit. Stand strong! Have faith in the power of Truth and Love, who is Christ.

…for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Cor 10:4)

Stand your ground, “but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.” [5] Otherwise, the light in you will fade, and your salt will lose its taste.

Last, keep in mind that…

Christ… fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy… but also by the laity… [who] are made sharers in their particular way in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 904, 897

Know that the Father will look out for you as He has all His “prophets.” Elijah surrendered himself completely into the arms of Divine Providence. Can you not see, my dear brothers and sisters, that you and I must do the same? That soon His arms will be all that we’ll have as Christians are forced out of the public sphere? So be it. But Abba knows how to care for His own.

The brook near where Elijah was hiding ran dry, because no rain had fallen in the land. So the LORD said to Elijah:  “Move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have designated a widow there to provide for you.” (Today’s first reading)

What is most remarkable is that God sent Elijah to a widow who also had nothing! She was down to her last meal. Why would the Lord do this? Precisely to demonstrate His power in the midst of disaster, His love in the midst of drought, His providence in the midst of famine. God multiplied her food such that:

She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as well. 

In this way, Elijah’s courage was strengthened, as was the faith of the widow. Look, food is easy for God. That’s the least of your worries. Being faithful is your concern:

Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one; the LORD will hear me when I call upon him. (Today’s Psalm)

Read the rest here! 

Jubilee of Mercy: A Final Gift, Prophecies, End Times

The following comes from the Catholic Exchange:

Not yet half way through the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the universal Church continues to invite the faithful to focus on the need to ask for Divine Mercy and to be reconciled with the Father of Mercy. Repentance and conversion are central to the call to become ambassadors of the Father’s mercy for others. Acknowledging the deep need for Divine Mercy and cultivating a merciful heart is more challenging than it appears.

St. John Paul II’s 1980 encyclical, Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), taught, “The present day mentality, more perhaps than that of people of the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart the very idea of mercy”(No. 2).

God’s mercy cannot be presumed, nor does it mean the absence of accountability, justice, or fraternal correction. The scriptures are replete with merciful acts of God combined with the exhortation to change, “Go, and sin no more” (Jn 8:11). Jesus forgives but also corrects, exhorts, and warns because His nature is love and His greatest attribute is mercy. Merciful love can do no less.

Prophecies in the Diary of St. Faustina

God warns. The Prophet of Mercy dictated several warnings to Sr. Faustina. Her writings, scrutinized and approved by the Holy See are additional (optional) supports to biblical prophecy and Church teaching in the Catechism regarding an ultimate trial that is coming. Approved prophecies are helpful reminders of the last four things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. In other words, they can help us to keep our eyes on the prize: eternal beatitude.

First, we’ll look at a sampling of prophecies from the Diary and then the Catechism’s teaching about the Church’s ultimate trial. Why do so? Perhaps the Lord’s words to St. Faustina are the best reason: “I will not delude you with the prospects of peace and consolation; on the contrary, prepare for great battles. Know that you are now on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you. Fight like a knight, so that I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone” (No. 1767.) Jesus taught and warned St. Faustina so that in turn we are taught and warned now.

“Speak to the world about My mercy…It is a sign for the end times. After it will come the Day of Justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fountain of My mercy.” (848)

“Tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near.” (965)

“I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of sinners. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation.” (1160)

“He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice.” (1146)

Biblical Prophecy: Matthew 24: 29-30

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; them will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory…”

Prophecy in the Catechism: The Church’s Ultimate Trial

675. Before Christ second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah comes in the flesh.

677. The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. This kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven. God’s triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.

The Jubilee of Mercy: A Gift & Warning to “Keep Watch”

Jesus told St. Faustina, “The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.”

Our Lord said, “Keep watch, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man.”

The Pope in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, extends a great opportunity, a gift of grace, and a prophetic sign consistent with his predecessors, biblical prophecy, the Catechism and the writings of a Saint. What is our response to the Jubilee?

Crossing the threshold of a Holy Door is pure grace worth every effort. Reconciling with God and others is a powerful step forward. What is the more that awaits us the next six months of the Jubilee? Passivity will gain nothing. Wisdom would have us seizing the opportunity for Jubilee indulgences, availing ourselves of many timely opportunities to be converted, grow in holiness, and engage in the spiritual battle all around us.

Divine Mercy is the greatest love story. God is reaching for us, His fallen creatures, offering a hand up from the polluted atmosphere of sin and evil into the sublime atmosphere of sanctity. He wants us to breathe the air of holiness. For all the beauty that He offers sinners, it’s sometimes difficult to leave the ugliness behind. Some feel unable to escape from the prison of sin and evil. Like the Prodigal Son, sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we turn back to the Father’s house. The Father is already looking to meet us with open arms.

Despite the challenges of daily life with the knots, twists, turns and chaotic daily news, a life lived with Christ will never lose sight of the prize of eternal life in Paradise. Prophecies are not meant to cause servile fear, but to inspire virtue, especially, fear of the Lord. It is an infused gift of the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to deepen this gift in others and us.

In light of credible prophecy Christ’s words to St. Faustina offer solace, “Let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. …While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them” (276). As Mother Mary proclaimed, “His mercy is on those who fear him from generation unto generation”(Luke 1:50).

Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for your poor children who have recourse to you; that we may be established in the gift of fear of the Lord; and profit everything from the Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus, your beloved Son, our Lord and Savior. Help us to receive the fullness of grace available in this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy—all for the glory of God. Amen. 

Don Bosco's Dream (Prophecy of The 200 Day March)

The following is a from a dream or prophecy of St. John Bosco.  This occurred between May 24 - June 24, 1873.   The vision is related from the tenth volume of the Biographical Memoirs:

It was a dark night, and men could no longer find their way back to their own countries.  Suddenly a most brilliant light (faith in God and in His power) shone in the sky, illuminating their way as at high noon.  At that moment from the Vatican came forth, as in procession, a multitude of men and women, young children, monks, nuns, and priests, and at their head was the Pope.  (It seems to allude to the suppression of monasteries and schools run by religious and to the Pope's exile.)

But a furious storm broke out, somewhat dimming that light, as if light and darkness were locked in battle.  (Perhaps this means a battle between truth and error, or else a bloody war.) Meanwhile the long procession reached a small square littered with dead and wounded, many of whom cried for help.

The ranks of the procession thinned considerably. After a two-hundred day march, all realized that they were no longer in Rome.  In dismay they swarmed about the Pontiff to protect him and minister to him in his needs.

At that moment two angels appeared, bearing a banner which they presented to the Supreme Pontiff, saying: "Take the banner of Her who battles and routs the most powerful armies on earth. Your enemies have vanished: with tears and sighs your children plead for your return."

One side of the banner bore the inscription: Regina sine labe concepta [Queen conceived without sine],and the other side read: Auxilium Christianorum [Help of Christians].

The Pontiff accepted the banner gladly, but he became distressed to see how few were his followers.

But the two angels went on: "Go now, comfort your children. Write to your brothers scattered throughout the world that men must reform their lives.  This cannot be achieved unless the bread of the Divine Word is broken among the peoples.  Teach children their catechism and preach detachment from earthly things.  The time has come," the two angles concluded, "when the poor will evangelize the world. Priests shall be sought among those who wield the hoe, the spade, and the hammer, as David prophesied: 'God lifted the poor man from the fields to place him on the throne of His people.'"

On hearing this, the Pontiff moved on, and the ranks began to swell. Upon reaching the Holy City, the Pontiff wept at the sight of its desolate citizens, for many of them were no longer.He then entered St. Peter's and intoned the Te Deum, to which a chorus of angels responded, singing: Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis [Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will.] When the song was over, all darkness vanished and a blazing sun shone.  The population had declined greatly in the cities and in the countryside; the land was mangled as if by a hurricane and hailstorm, and people sought each other, deeply moved, and saying: Est Deus in Israel [There is a God in Israel].

From the start of the exile until the intoning of the Te Deum, the sun rose 200 times. All the events described covered a period of 400 days.

The Quotable Ratzinger

“The church will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes . . . she will lose many of her social privileges. . . As a small society, [the Church] will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members.” 

--Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) in 1970

Remembering the 1975 Rome Prophecies

On Pentecost Monday 1975 a prophecy was given by Ralph Martin in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome, in the presence of Pope Paul VI.

The Prophecies were given during the Closing Eucharistic Celebrations (Pentecost Monday 1975) of the International Conference of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.  This is for your discernment, but it seems like a powerful one to me.

Here are the prophecies:

"Because I love you I want to show you what I am doing in the world today. I want to prepare you for what is to come. Days of darkness are coming on the world, days of tribulation… Buildings that are now standing will not be standing. Supports that are there for my people will not be there. I want you to be prepared, My people, to know only me and to cleave to me and to have me in a way deeper than ever before. I will lead you into the desert…. I will strip you of everything that you are depending on now, so you depend just on me. A time of darkness is coming on the world, but a time of glory is coming for my church, a time of glory is coming for my people. I will pour out on you all the gifts of My Spirit. I will prepare you for spiritual combat; I will prepare you for a time of evangelism that the world has never seen. And when you have nothing but Me, you will have everything: land, fields, homes and brothers and sisters and love and joy and peace more than ever before. Be ready, my people, I want to prepare you…"

"I speak to you of the dawn of a 'new age' for My church. I speak to you of a day that has not been seen before...Prepare yourselves for the action that I begin now, because things that you see around you will change; the combat that you must enter now is different; it is new. You need wisdom from Me that you do not yet have."

"You need the power of my Holy Spirit in a way that you have not possessed it; you need an understanding of My will and of the ways that I work that you do not yet have. Open your eyes, open your hearts to prepare yourselves for Me and for the day that I have now begun. My church will be different; My people will be different; difficulties and trials will come upon you. The comfort that you know now will be far from you, but the comfort that you will have is the comfort of My Holy Spirit. They will send for you, to take your life, but I will support you. Come to Me. Band yourselves together, around Me. Prepare, for I proclaim a new day, a day of victory and of triumph for your God. Behold, It is begun."

"...I will renew my Church. I will renew my people. I will make My people one. I am calling you to turn away from the pleasure of the world. I am calling you to turn away from seeking the approval of the world in your lives. I want to transform your lives...I have word for My church. I am sounding My call. I am forming a mighty army...My power is upon them. They will follow My chosen shepherd(s)..."

"Be the shepherds I have called you to be...I am renewing My church. I will free the world."

"Know that I, your God, brought Peter and Paul to Rome to witness to My glory. I have chosen you also and have brought you to Rome to bear witness to My glory, confirmed now by your shepherd. Go forth to the healing of the nations. Know that I am with you; and though you may pass through tribulation and trial, I will be with you even to the end. I am preparing a place for you in glory. Look to Me and I will deliver you from the power of the evil one. Behold I am with you now, all days, even till the end of time.

"...You have know the truth these days. You have experienced the truth these days. It is clear to you at this moment what the truth is. It is the truth of My kingdom, My kingdom that will prevail...I want you to take that truth, to rest in that truth, to believe in that truth, not to compromise it, not to lose it in confusions, not to be timid about it, but to stand simply, in love, firmly rooted in the truth as foundation stones upon which My church can have new life and new power."