I Saw A Great Darkness

Recently my attention was drawn to an interesting passage was posted by a parishioner of my Church on Facebook from the visions of Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, whose now famous (and fascinating) book, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the inspiration for Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and one of the absolute best sources of Lenten meditation you can lay hands on.

The article she posted highlighted these points from her vision:

“I saw also the relationship between two popes … I saw how baleful would be the consequences of this false church. I saw it increase in size; heretics of every kind came into the city of Rome. The local clergy grew lukewarm, and I saw a great darkness…

“I had another vision of the great tribulation. It seems to me that a concession was demanded from the clergy which could not be granted. I saw many older priests, especially one, who wept bitterly. A few younger ones were also weeping. But others, and the lukewarm among them, readily did what was demanded. It was as if people were splitting into two camps.”

“I see the Holy Father in great anguish. He lives in a palace other than before and he admits only a limited number of friends near him. I fear that the Holy Father will suffer many more trials before he dies.

“I see that the false Church of darkness is making progress and I see the dreadful influence it has on the people. The Holy Father and the Church are verily in so great a distress that one must implore God night and day…”

Here are my thoughts on this for it is very intriguing to me. For one I must say that after Pope Benedict made his announcement to retire, many… even myself, said this is the chance for our next Holy Father to really take hold of the spiritual divide in the Church between conservative/traditionalists and liberal/modernists and clear some things up. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI were already making headway in answering the big questions of the times with clear answers. But now it was time for a new Holy Father to come out and really step on some toes! I my reaction to the lightening striking St. Peter’s dome twice signified something big was about to happen.

Then the doors opened and Pope Francis stepped out onto the balcony. I fell in love with him, despite the fact he was a Jesuit. But I felt good about his humility and desire for the world to return to prayer. In his first homily as Pope, he preached against following worldliness, or else we would be preaching the way of the Devil.

He was beginning to make waves… until in his good will he began to act like more like a simple Bishop than the Pope. Yes of course, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome… but he is also the Head of the Roman Catholic Church.

I still love our Holy Father, Pope Francis… yet I still have yet to see him continue the momentum that Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul started. Instead he seems to focus on more of the basics of being a Christian; love your neighbor; take care of the poor; love your enemies… all good things to know and practice… but not what we need right now in this time of confusion and divide amongst all the political jargon. We need clear-cut answers. Definitive movements of a renewal of faith and devotion in the world. And not open-ended vague answers that leave the press enough meat to build a sandwich of more confusion and lies about the Church for us to feed on.

Given, I know our Holy Father means well in all that he does, and doesn’t intend for his comments and actions to be misinterpreted by the media. But I only pray for him that he begins to realize, if he really wants to “rebuild the Church” as St. Francis was told to do by God… then he needs to get out his hammer and start pounding in the nails of penance, devotion, and sacrifice into the hearts of all ungrateful mankind.

Now with that being said, does what Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich saw in her vision relate to this time of “great darkness” in the Church that she saw? Are we in darkness? One thing is for sure, and that is the fact that we are beginning to “split into two camps”, the conservative/traditionalists and the liberal/modernists.

One side thinks it needs to be more reverent to Our Lord and follow practices of penance, sacrifice and piety. The other thinks the faith needs to be more progressive, worldly and fun, so that all will join and see that Jesus is more of our “buddy” than a just judge ready to smite you for your sins. But is this idealism that has sprung forth from Vatican II the “false Church of darkness” that she speaks of? And why call it the “false Church”? Clearly she doesn’t mean what many Sedevacantists would like to think she means by saying that the Church of Christ no longer exists in Rome anymore because (as they believe), the Chair of Peter has been vacant since the death of Pope Pius X, therefore those of us who follow this Vatican II Church are apart of a “false Church”?

No, I believe what she is meaning by “false Church” does not have to do with the Pope, but rather the fact on how the Church has been conducting herself since Vatican II. That may in fact be the “false Church” she is referring too; a Church that has lost its original zeal.

All-in-all, does this mean that she is speaking of the Church of today and of Pope Francis? Maybe… maybe not? Regardless it should cause a lot of us to “implore God night and day…” and especially pray for our Holy Father.

God love you all! Pray the Rosary daily!