Shortly before he died, St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals and Ecology, called together his followers and warned them of the coming troubles, saying: "1. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase, not only towards each other, but towards all creation. God’s creatures shall be demonically tormented and tortured at the hands of man. "2. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At this time a man, not canonically elected, will be cunningly raised to the Pontificate, and will endeavour to draw many into error and death. "3. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God. "4. Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect. "5. Those who preserve their fervour and adhere to compassion for all of creation, will be victimised, they will suffer injuries and persecutions. They shall be dismissed as rebels against the system. Their persecutors, urged on by the Devil, will honestly believe that they are rendering a great service to God by eliminating these rebels from the face the Earth. But God will be the refuge of all those victims of compassion. He will save all who trust in Him. Therefore, be proud to count yourselves among these blessed victims. Act with confidence, and by choosing to obey the Laws of God, rather than that of man, you will secure eternal life. Fear nothing, for it is better to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Do not be concerned about the fate of your persecutors, for only God can judge them.”
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 08:55:21 +0000
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