SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Desiring that any good teaching not be lost or forgotten, I
have a tendency to save articles that speak to me in a particular way and, that may be useful at some later date. As you may imagine, the pages of books, pamphlets, and
journals are complete with these treasures of wisdom.Of course they may not see
the light of day for years!
Today, reaching for the old Jerusalem bible, rather than
going to find my own personal favorite edition, a yellowed newspaper clipping
caught my attention! Dated November of 2008, printed in the Catholic Free Press
by Fr. Eugene Hemrick , there was the Wisdom of the day!
It related to the happenings of our world today, as if a
prophetic message had been given! Above all, this prophesy related to today’s
scriptural readings for the mass celebration! What a find! I could not resist
being excited over such a Sign of the Times right before my eyes, so unplanned
by my human mind, yet put together by a higher Power. Here is a portion of the
article found tucked into the book of Daniel…
CHANGING TIMES
Fr. Eugene Hemrick
Stock market tycoon rips off people to the tune of $50
billion! A state governor attempts selling a vacant senate seat! CEO’s greed and ineptness
cause companies to fail! Unjust layoffs abound!....
Are the signs of the times signaling our imminent funeral?
In the Supreme Court, a frieze depicts the works of good and
evil. On one side are Security, Peace, Harmony, Charity,Defender of Virtue,
Truth and Justice. On the other side are Evil, Corruption, Deception, Slander
and Despotic Power.
Is it possible that the works of evil are presently far
outweighing the works of good?
Let’s look at some historical facts to answer this and to
find what is needed to counter this.
All great nations have fallen. No matter how strong we are,
it is unrealistic to say this will never happen to the U.S.
Americans are a blessed people, but blessings only go so far
in the face of corruption, greed and neglect of God.
It would seem that Deception and Corruption depicted in the
works of evil are much more prevalent today. As we have advanced in the world
of technology, so too have we advanced in ways of employing it to deceive and
corrupt others.
Many of today’s nations are experiencing desolation due to
despotic power. The loss of a home, job and all our savings is nothing compared
to living under despotic governments. A despotic
government is not out of the question for the U.S. if it loses faith in
its civil leaders and errs on the side of picking an autocratic dictator to
guarantee security.
No doubt many people will take issue with these observations,
saying they are too negative, give a one- sided picture and do not take into
account our system of checks and balances. But one thing is true: Citizens of
the United States need to read the signs of the times to learn the moral and
ethical practices these signs are calling for.
I believe the times are telling us that the responsibility
for bolstering our morality and ethics is no longer to be left solely to intellectuals
and civil and church leaders. An age of new citizenship is needed, one in which
everyone takes action to guard against becoming one more fallen nation.
