Mar. 25, 2018

The Small Number of the Elect

 Is the greeting we give our Lord today truly an eternal promise to know, love, and serve Him?

“Great Saint John Chrysostom, I contemplate you and I honour you.”

--"Come,” he says to me, “in the Name of the Lord. I will conduct you to His Divine Presence.

--"Little sister, be full of courage at this time. Be of strength, of energy. . . One day, I see under my eyes all of the great city of Rome and the Lord tells me:

‘John, the souls who are to be saved on earth are not as many in number as the grains of wheat that rest on the field, after the harvest is picked up. I assure you that on the Day of Judgement the greater part of souls will be condemned to burn eternally.’ ”

(9 March 1878)

[Source:  p. 179 Le Ciel en Colloque, in translation].

Reflections on this prophecy :

Today, on Palm Sunday, the faithful who are able to make the financial sacrifice, are travelling to receive the Holy Sacraments from True Priests, validly ordained and in union with His Holiness, Pope Gregory XVIII.

How few there are, in comparison to how many there should be! 

In this prophecy, our souls are referred to as “grains of wheat”.

In these End Times, as we await the appearance of the final events, the souls of the saved will not be "as many in number as the grains of wheat that rest on the field, after the harvest is picked up."

Let us consider what wheat is: 

It is said that wheat is the staff of life, that it gives and sustains life.

Historically people have survived on wheat, like the Egyptians who went to their Pharaoh during the seven years of famine for sustenance from the wheat saved thanks to Joseph’s dream (and the Pharaoh’s cooperation with God’s grace).

Wheat gives life, and our witness will give life to others around us. Never doubt in the power of seeds sown through daily example.

We are very few, less in number than the wheat berries that drop onto the field after a harvest, yet we have prayer, which is a most powerful weapon! 

We must pray that many will be saved, even if upon their death beds.

It is our human nature to think in terms of numbers, where small numbers mean sure failure, but while this may apply to the natural world, where, say, not enough coffee grounds makes for a poor cup of coffee, the idea of numbers does not apply in the supernatural world!

Through prayer, the few can conquer, because it is the Communion of the Saints and the Angels, who conquer all through God, the Creator of all!

It is our sadness as humans, that our daily efforts can fail, in that we cannot reach all.

We see this with parents who are sadly unable to help all of their children to come to the Catholic Faith. There are many reasons why this happens. Sometimes it is the free will of the child, with some attachment that seems to have a stronger attraction, and sometimes it is due to a scandal caused by another or others. What great frustration, sadness, anger!

Sadly, parents cannot be everywhere at all times.

It is a similar sorrow for teachers who try to reach students, but see failure through ingrained misconceptions or, even more prevalent today, worldly attachments.

God seems to be unknown, unrecognized.

But you and I, we are not the ultimate farmers (or gardeners). We are human, with human limitations. So we, the parents, teachers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, and grandfathers, we rely on God and His Angels.

And this is wise. For God can grant the great grace of Faith to our children, parents, brothers, sisters, and other beloved family members. We must never despair of that!

Let us work together with the Holy Angels towards the salvation of our dear family, friends, and neighbours.

Let us pray for our fellow countrymen, also.

Let us never lose holy hope, and let us become friends with the Guardian Angels of our family members and the many other souls. May our prayers truly make a difference towards their conversions!  Deo gratias!

LINKS:  Contemplation     St. Michael Prayer    Devotions  Catholic Prophecy     LA SALETTE

"We declare, say, define and proclaim to every human creature that they by necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff ." - Decree of Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam, Nov. 18, 1302, ex cathedra