Jesus coming back too late?

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John121

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People have left the Catholic Church in huge numbers don’t attend mass and are not practicing my question is why did jesus not come back before this and save more people from the tribulation ?

In Ireland I might be lucky to see one or two my age at church, in there twenties.
 
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Read John 6 once again. The Lord is being patient and allowing them to essentially come to their senses and return to him, much as the prodigal son did. Remember that the faith was seriously challenged in the first few decades, as the Parousia was thought to be imminent. Saint Peter wrote of it in his Second letter, chapter 3.

Simply be at peace, demonstrate the joy of the Gospel to them, and pray. What more can we do for obstinate hearts?
 
I am sure Christians around 67 AD had similar feelings: they were being killed left and right so dehcreasing in numbers by persecutions of both Jews and Romans… and then all of a sudden, the siege of Jerusalem and its destruction… just like Jesus predicted. Have faith and trust in God.
 
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia article on St. Patrick:
’ It is recorded that when St. Patrick and St. Brigid were united in their last prayer, a special vision was shown to him. He saw the whole of Ireland lit up with the brightest rays of Divine Faith. This continued for centuries, and then clouds gathered around the devoted island, and, little by little, the religious glory faded away, until, in the course of centuries, it was only in the remotest valleys that some glimmer of its light remained. St. Patrick prayed that the light would never be extinguished, and, as he prayed, the angel came to him and said: “Fear not: your apostolate shall never cease”.’
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Also keep in mind St. Peter writing that people would wonder why Jesus does not return, but a thousand years is like one day to God (II Peter 3:4–9). So it’s only been two days. 🙃 The Lord is waiting for more souls to be saved. My feeling (just a personal idea) is that Christ will return before some crucial point when humanity completely destroys itself; but we should be ready at any time, because none of us know, individually, how much time we have left.
 
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He didn’t promise that He would. Rather, He said, “The love of many will wax cold.” Remember that the Tribulation is itself a mercy, purifying the Church and giving sinners one last chance to repent.
 
I see you mentioned tribulation? You mean like the rapture?
 
TheLittleLady said:
Have you been reading Protestant “Rapture” stuff?
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0Scarlett_nidiyilii said:
I see you mentioned tribulation? You mean like the rapture?
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That was my first thought, too.

Just to clear things up for @John121: in Catholic theology (and, to be honest, in all Christian theology, up until the 1800s), there is no notion of a ‘rapture’, be it “post-tribulation” or “pre-tribulation”. So, the question “why hasn’t Jesus saved people from the tribulation?” doesn’t really resonate with a Catholic, because we understand the Book of Revelation in a way that’s quite different from the way that dispensationalists of the 1800s and beyond have understood it. Michael Barber’s book “Coming Soon” does a great job of explaining the Book of Revelation from a Catholic perspective… I highly recommend it!
 
John121 said:
People have left the Catholic Church in huge numbers don’t attend mass and are not practicing my question is why did jesus not come back before this and save more people from the tribulation ?

In Ireland I might be lucky to see one or two my age at church, in there twenties.
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Seems the catholic church does not speak directly to issues millennials and post-millennials are interested in like climate change,… so they go else where for answers and community
 
What about us millennials who are not interested in climate change?
 
touche,… point I was string to make is there are several issue like the environment (i.e. climate change) and gay rights that the traditional catholic church does not seem all that interested in,… and like it or not many youth are interested in these topics
 
Some may be. I think it’s somewhat overrepresented as they seem to be the most vocal. It’s a bit of a trope now, the millennial who advocates climate change, gay and trans rights, basic income, etc as the face of my generation. It’s become tiresome being lumped into that same group because of age.

Interestingly, since speaking anecdotally seems to be alright here, our parishes in my area are experiencing a great growth of millennials both single and married that just so happens to coincide with a change in church leadership locally towards conservative perspectives on moral and economic issues.
 
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Is it a platitude or over simplistic to say that Jesus / God is never late? And as another post hinted at, when Jesus does come again in the flesh, it will be game over for quite a few people.

I know Pope Benedict said the church would become much smaller for a time as things continue to ‘devolve.’ All this strife and persecution is in exact keeping with what the Bible has to say about it. It is our Lady who tries to get us more time.

Without her, our Mother, our advocate, we would all be toast already, most of us anyway, me included most likely. It is also through her loyal children, who pray the rosary, who make sacrifices on our behalf, who are doing the hard work that help give us the chance of another day.

Mary said, “ You must be warned, children, the plague is big. At these moments all humanity is hanging by a thread. My children, the senseless person is dead, even if alive, because he does not fear the justice of God, nor fears not fulfilling of His commandments. He wants to ignore the fact that the Lord’s day and his judgment will arrive. Blessed are those who fear God’s judgment.”

https://www.sign.org/articles/marys-stern-warning-chastisements-approved
 
It very well could happen this way, but what source are you using for this? I don’t challenge that what you describe exists in some narrative or narratives, but which one, or which ones?
 
Thanks, I may have to check this one out. Sounds like an excellent book.

I am not normally one of these “sources, please” types — especially with the advent of the Internet, we read so much and can’t possibly remember exactly where we read everything — but this is very helpful to me.
 
I’m pretty sure God knows if and when he’s needed here. Or are you really worried that he missed his chance and we’re doomed?
 
Only Americans lump climate change with gay marriage and the other issues on your list. It’s not just Pope Francis… Pope Benedict also strongly urged responsible stewardship of the environment in face of the issues we are facing such as climate change.
 
That’s not how the Church interprets the Book of Revelation.

In broad strokes: the Church’s interpretation is amillennial and preterist (i.e., “not a literal millennium” and “much of this is in the author’s future but in our past – that is, it’s already happened”).
phaster said:
touche,… point I was string to make is there are several issue like the environment (i.e. climate change) and gay rights that the traditional catholic church does not seem all that interested in
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Umm… if you think that Pope Francis hasn’t spoken out on environmental concerns and climate change, you haven’t been paying attention. 😉

And, the Catechism (which was published in ‘92 – right in the heart of millennials’ birth date range!) talks about the fact that homosexual persons have the same human dignity that non-homosexuals do.

So… not sure what you’re asserting, there… 🤔
 
A non-American Catholic climate change denier? Didn’t realize such a creature existed. I apologize.
 
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