Many of us were saddened at the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia last week. Republicans and Democrats are going round and round with the usual political hullabaloo over Scalia's replacement and whether the nomination should be postponed until after the November elections.
But for people of faith, the question is what does this mean? Why now, God? In a time when the traditional Catholic voice is so muted, when natural law is so poorly understood, when political leadership is devoid of men devoted to the Faith - in other words, when men like Justice Scalia were so sorely needed - why, God? Why take him so suddenly, now, only a few months before the end of Barack Obama's administration? Could you not have found a better time or a better person to take, O' Lord? Why heap misery upon misery on us?
In short, I believe we are facing what I call a Megiddo Moment. Many of you may be familiar with the name Megiddo as the Hebrew source of the word Armageddon. But let us go back to the Old Testament roots of the word.
In the Old Testament, Megiddo was the site of a battle between the Israelites under King Josiah and the Egyptians under Pharaoh Necho II in 609 BC.
King Josiah was one of Judah's few righteous kings. The book of 2 Kings tells us that Josiah was most devoted to God's law of any of Judah's kings. He had purified the Temple of all the abominations introduced by the pagans, tore down the pagan altars around Judah, had the Book of Deuteronomy read to the people (which he and the priests found in the Temple after years of neglect), celebrated the Feasts of the Lord according to the Law, and in general ruled in righteousness according to God's commandments.
But how did God reward the righteousness of this king?
"In his days Pharao Necho king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went to meet him: and was slain at Megiddo, when he had seen him" (2 Ki. 23:29).
Josiah was only 39 years old when he died. He conceivably had decades ahead of him - decades more to do good and lead Judah in righteousness. Why did God cut Him off in the prime of life, despite his goodness? Our answer is found a few verses prior:
"There was no king before [Josiah] like unto him, that returned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with ail his strength, according to all the law of Moses: neither after him did there arise any like him.
But yet the Lord turned not away from the wrath of his great indignation, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah: because of the provocations, wherewith Manasseh had provoked him.
And the Lord said: I will remove Judah also from before my face, as I have removed Israel: and I will cast off this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the house, of which I said: My name shall be there" (2 Ki. 23:25-27).
Josiah was cut off because God was determined to punish Judah for the sins of Manasseh. Manasseh was the grandfather of Josiah. Manasseh was the wickedest of all the kings of Judah. He had sacrificed children to Moloch in the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem (2 Ch. 33:6) and did more evil than any other Israelite king before or since.
When Manasseh committed these sins, he essentially pushed Judah over the edge - brought his kingdom past the point of no return. God was determined to punish Judah; not even the righteous King Josiah was enough to change anything. And because God had determined to punish, He cut the righteous king off at the prime of his life. Twenty-two years later Jerusalem fell to Babylon and the political power of the Davidic dynasty was extinguished.
Because I am a pessimist when it comes to these things, I think the death of Scalia was just such a Megiddo moment. Our nation and our people have, individually and collectively, so provoked God to wrath by our sins that we have reached a tipping point. There is only judgment now. And if a righteous branch sprouts up - someone like Scalia - God will cut him off at a very inconvenient time in order to facilitate the judgment that He has ordained.
I may be wrong...I tend towards apocalypticism and pessimism in such questions, but I suspect this is the case.
7 comments:
I don't think you're wrong.
He has withdrawn his protecting hand from Canada too. Our nation just elected a Catholic imbecile who is now ushering in euthanasia, foreign funding of abortion, demands adherence by all in the Party to baby killing; he will legalised prostitution and marijuana.
We are in this together and it is not going to be good.
Yep. We are gonna get what we have asked for...good and hard!
I see a lot of prepper stuff around, but I tend to not get too caught up in it. I have been too involved in the sins of this world, and am only now trying to work my way back up to a godly life. I expect that I will receive any chastisement that happens, both because I richly deserve it, and because I need the penance.
Many prophecies and apparitions have said it is coming, and that it will take the good along with the bad. In fact, I do not believe that we can turn this around without a good chastisement. I think we've gone too far and need a reset.
"Why Must I Suffer," by Rev. F. J. Remler, C.M. is an excellent book. Written in 1935, his second chapter reads like today's newspaper.
Yep. Good and Hard.
I Think your right and there's more to come. I really think we're in for it now. Hold on to your rosaries folks. Stay in a state of grace. I think Our Heavenly Father has just about had it.
If he Pope Francis would do as Our Lady requested, and consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart - we would have peace. Prayers and rosaries for this intention are what is needed most now.
You guys are not the only ones who have provoked God...just look at us over hear in Germany...we are being flooded with hords of Muslim men between 16 and 30.
I've had this feeling for a few years now. When Andrew Breitbart suddenly died in 2012, I had a sickening feeling that God was systematically knocking all the props out from under us. Every time someone came along that raised hope, that made me think, "Hey! We might actually be able to win this time!" that person would be removed. I think Benedict XVI's resignation was another such event. Now people are getting all excited and hopeful that Donald Trump will rescue us - that more than anything makes me fearful that he won't survive to the election. It's not that he's a good and holy man, but he gives people hope that they can fight back and defeat the evil engulfing us. I feel that on the contrary, God is taking away everything that's supporting us. Soon there'll be nothing - then we'll have to trust God even though there's no hope anymore.
I tend to think Trump is part of the chastisement. In fact, all of the "front-runners" seem to be, whether you look at Hillary, Bernie, The Donald, or Ted. The way I view it, American elections have become choosing between different flavors of ice cream - they may appear different, but they are all made by the same dairy factory. The dairy doesn't care what flavor you choose, as long as you are keep buying their ice cream.
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