Britney
Hales
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
- I was just wondering if we, as Catholics,
believe in any signs of the Second Coming, and
if so, what are they, and are they near?
Britney
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Do
we believe in any signs of the Second Coming,
and if so, what are they, and are they near? }
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Eric
replied:
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Hi, Britney —
I'm not sure if your question is
whether we:
- believe the Second Coming
is near, or
- believe there
are signs which precede the Second
Coming.
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- With respect to the first question,
the answer is no, and as long as
we remember the Gospel says: "No
one knows the day or the hour" (Matthew 24:36),
we're free to speculate on the nearness
of the Second Coming. No one, however,
is bound to believe such speculations.
For example, there was a revelation
to St. Faustina that the Lord would raise up a Pope out of Poland, who
would prepare the world for His Second Coming. (I'm not sure it said "Pope",
but that was effectively what it meant.)
Of course, we
don't know if that means a preparation
far from the event, or near to the
event.
There are prophecies from St. Malachy
that show there will only be two
more Popes, but then again, the prophecies
are sufficiently vague that it is
hard to guarantee their accuracy.
-
As for the second question, the Gospels
give such signs (such as wars and
rumors of wars, eclipses, faith growing
cold, and so forth.) (Matthew 24:12) However, such signs tend to be present in nearly
every age, to one degree or another.
The proper response to this is simply
to be ready for the Second Coming
at any time. After all, an individual's death is the Second
Coming for all of us, and any of us can die at any moment.
We ought always to be right with
the Lord.
6 "Behold, the bridegroom is
coming in the middle of the night."
Matthew 25:6 |
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Eric Ewanco
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