It was a shock to find out the Pope was stepping down at the end of February. It's been around 600 years since the last time this happened. The first thing that happens are the flurries of speculations of whether this is the end times or not. As I recall, it has been pretty clear that our concept of time is not God's knowledge of time so trying to guess or make educated surmises are a waste of time. These days should be ones of faith in God's touch in our lives. We shouldn't be trying to out think God's timeline for us and the world. I'm willing to bet that thousands upon thousands of people will have their personal 'end time' long before the final end of the world. A parishioner asked our pastor this morning if this was a prelude to THE end times and he sighed and said that it had about as much veracity as the end times we were warned about last year. In frustration at events in our life, many are often heard to exclaim, "God only knows!" I think this little exclamation applies to current circumstances because it IS only God who knows!
Being aware of this and abiding by the knowledge doesn't stop the rumors from flying. One person said this is coming about because we didn't consecrate Russia to the Blessed Mother. When this event was questioned, I believe they went directly to Sister Lucia of Fatima who confirmed that it had been done correctly. Naturally, the nay sayers said the information from Sister Lucia hadn't been truthfully transmitted.
Others are nodding sagely and saying that the successor of Pope Benedict XVI will be the last pope of all time. Some even go as far as to say the last pope will be the Antichrist. So, how do they know and why are they the privileged ones to be receptors of this information?
Some religions are sure that this as yet unnamed pope will not only be the last pope but the Antichrist. At one time, they also thought that Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II would plotting together to form a one-world religion. I'm pretty sure it didn't happen!
Whenever there is a major change in the world, people panic and start digging up reasons to explain it. Personally, I don't know if the end times are on the horizon and I wouldn't dare to state an opinion on that as an option for our seemingly limited future. Aside from prayer and sacrifice during the upcoming Lent, my only plans for the future are to live my life the best I can until my time here on earth is done.
Lately, the world is not a great place. Sin has replaced modesty, religion, and common sense. Instead of worrying about the last days, we might make the best of each day as if it were to be our last. Prayer turns hearts to a higher level.
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