The Heavens will shake: Pope Francis preaches of the end times.
In his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francisexpressed shock at the terror attacks in France on Friday, wondering how man could even think of something so evil. The Pope called it an “unspeakable affront to human dignity” entrusting the souls of the deceased and their families to God's mercy.
Violence in the Name of God Blasphemous, Says Pope Francis[/tweetthis]
He said that hate and violence could never solve humanity's problems, and led the faithful who had gathered in St. Peter's Square in reciting a Hail Mary, before he himself pleaded with the Blessed Virgin Mary to lend her protection to France and Europe. The Virgin Mary has a close affinity with France – it was in Lourdes that St. Marie-Bernadette Soubirous experienced some eighteen apparitions in 1858.
At Mass Pope Francis read “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” Interestingly, the first reading was from the Book of Daniel, about St. Michael the Archangel rising to protect the chosen in a time of great distress. Pope Francis asked people not to watch out for the signs, but be ready for an encounter with Christ. He also told them not to put their trust in horoscopes, but in Jesus, who was with them.
Kind of scary how even Pope Francis already warns us to be ready for the end of times but oh well finally seeing the face of God is ?
— Rizza Osmillo (@rizzumms) November 16, 2015
He urged them not to lose hope while contemplating on the future, adding that while it was the smallest of virtues, it was also the strongest. The Cross is the only point of stability in an uncertain world, and the second reading at Mass also referred to Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. Earlier on Saturday, while interacting with Rome's Lutheran community, the Pope had remarked that Jesus would ask on Judgement Day what people did with their lives, whether or not they cared for the less fortunate around them. Mother Teresa's efforts were labeled a drop in an ocean, but it was a drop that changed the entire ocean, stressed the Pontiff, the spiritual head of 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.
He called the Paris terror attacks piecemeal World War III and concluded his Sunday address by instructing the people to stay vigilant. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS, which carried out the attacks that left 129 killed and 352 injured, 99 of them who continue to be critical, has mentioned Rome as one of its next targets.