Signs in the Sky?

There will be a series of lunar eclipses starting this Holy Tuesday. It's interesting that there are many articles conjuring this with the Jewish race. Talks of tribulations had always been there, and the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI last February 2013 had sparked even more.

The fiction of Spanish historian about Benedict XVI retiring to a monastic life became a reality.

Kelly Bowring's book cover showing lightning over St. Peter's Basilica became a reality soon after Benedict XVI announced his renunciation of the papacy.

There is the "prophecy of popes" by St. Malachy wherein the pope of the tribulation was coded as Petrus Romanus. Whether Pope Francis is aware of the prophecy or not, he had emphasized his office as "bishop of Rome".

In 1917, three great events happened: the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the Birth Control League of Margaret Sanger, and our Lady's apparition in Fatima. All three events created significant followings spreading far and wide. The Socialist Movement and the Population Control
movement became allies as both rejects God.

On the other hand, there is our Lady of Fatima giving three secrets to three shepherd children. Unfortunately, even the Fatima movement caused a splinter. Avid devotees came to believe that the Third Secret had not been revealed; And the Catholic Church had been infiltrated by the minions of the anti-Christ.

What is curious of Fatima was that our Lady warned of another war which will be preceded by a sign from the skies. Indeed, there was the Aurora Borealis before World War II. The Fatima apparition itself had the "dancing sun" visible to believers and non-believers.

The times are definitely dangerous. Things that are so obvious to the rational mind had been obfuscated. Well-meaning people are being swept with the time.

Coincidences, they say, are God incidences. Although, one must admit that we can not simply interpret it lightly. At the same time, we can not ignore the signs of the times.

Tired Warriors

"That is why Pope Francis can be readily said and rightfully considered as the gift of God to the Church and to the world. And this is neither but poetry nor illusion. The world is becoming worse. The Church is getting tired. This is why not only the Church but also the world needs an honest-to-goodness spiritual leader in order to energize the Christians, to inspire humanity. Both the Church and the world are in dire need of shepherding that leads the sheep to the right path, cares for them the right way, and protects them from evil and harm.". The quote is from Archbishop Emeritus Oscar V. Cruz in his blogpost Shepherd-in-Chief.

Surely, I can understand his admiration for Pope Francis. I may raise my eyebrows on the suceeding lines because the two predecessors were (to me) honest to goodness spiritual leaders who inspire the church and the world. So be it, to each his own opinion.

What struck me more was "the church is getting tired". What could he possibly mean? As Benedict XVI reminded us, "the church is Christ'", as sure hope his eminence is not referring to Jesus Christ. Jesus is patient and faithful even with the likes of me. Could he mean the bishops? Oh, many bishops around the world are obviously not tired of dissenting. And we just had an old priest in Syria who died because he didnot want to abandon the flock. Could he mean the laity which constitute the majority of the Church? Well, there are lots of nominal Catholics, dissenting Catholics, but there is a vibrant Catholic youth movement. And there is also what Benedict XVI called the "creative minority".

I think Archbishop Cruz is referring to himself. I think he had grown tired. He had been fighting the jueteng and many of the political maladies of our land.

I do get tired too and sometimes we just surrender and let things happen. We just face the consequences.

The popular anecdote, though, is a good reminder.

The old man walks into the seashore and found a young girl picking up the starfishes that had been washed ashore. She would head back to the sea and throw the starfishes back. The man talked to the young girl, "young lady, there are are just too many starfishes ashore. You can not possibly save them all." The young girl smiled and replied, "it doesn't matter to me if I can not bring them all back," Then picking up one starfish she said, "but for this ONE, it matters".

Fiction to Real?

Fiction and reality are closely tied to each other. Sometimes reality imitates fiction and vice versa.

This is an interesting article recalling a fiction made by Spanish historian Juan María Laboa in 2012.

In the fiction "Jesus in Rome", Benedict XVI was the pope. Jesus, then, came to Rome together with a group of saints of different time period. They were confronted with the problems of the Church and the world. And in a place like Rome, how would one reach out to the people. In the end, Benedict XVI decided to retire in the Franciscan Monastery of La Verna. The twist was he woke up and it was all a dream.

A passage from the story goes, "Benedict XVI was the first pope who renounced the papacy, but, probably, was the first to consciously believe that, although the love of God and man has no limits, the services that we are asked on this earth are always in function of the projects of the Lord and the good of believers." That is so Benedict XVI.

Benedict XVI's farewell address, "But this does not mean abandoning the Church; indeed, if God asks me this, it is precisely so that I may continue to serve her with the same dedication and the same love with which I have tried to do so until now, but in a way more suited to my age and strength."

Was it really a fiction that turned out prophetic? Or could Benedict XVI have read the book and found wisdom in the story, enough to follow it?

From the synopsis and excerpts, it would be an interesting read not only because of the coincidences but it would make us think and rethink our present culture.

One Step

With the worldwide trend and pressure, rendering key provisions of the RH law as unconstitutional was a major victory. The RH law, though, would still be there. And for certain UNFP, USAID, PP and their local pawns would still try to amend it into the IRR.

There will be those RH advocates who just like the concept of propagating artificial contraception especially to the poor losers of Philippine society (those who are in the poverty level); They will rejoice that the Supreme Court declared Reproductive Health Law as constitutional.

I still consider the RH law as a Pandora's box that will open up to so many ills in society. As Truth gets clouded, so do will many man-made institutions including man-instituted religion. And the real losers will be humanity clueless of what love is.

The story on the Supreme Court ruling.

Papal Bull_et

Pope Francis had become the UNIVERSAL ARSENAL for those who wants to change Church teaching and his words are being shoved down the throat of Catholics defending the Church.


Here in the Philippines media (de Quiros) using it to promote the RH law. In some cases it is bishop against bishops like the issue on allowing the reception of the Holy Eucharist to pro-abortion politician in the US. In England, it is the same issue with one bishop going against the bishops' conference.


Granting that the pope's words were misinterpreted (sometimes deliberately), it had become ingrained in the minds of many people.


In the name of being pastoral. In the name of mercy. Let everyone get what one wants. Relativism is the name of the game.


It's a walk in the quicksand and many are being pulled down. The shepherds want to smell like the sheep and they acted like the sheep. And no one is guiding the sheepfold while many are falling into the abyss.

God became Man but He never lost His divinity. Even when Jesus walked the same ground and ate the same food, He was always on a redemptive mission. He saved man from his own self-destructive nature. Jesus' compassion and mercy was not about letting humanity continue its way but to raise them up with Him.

May we truly find Easter and accept that we are destined for the resurrection.