Sat (Nov 28) Mass readings (end times stuff about evil kingdoms taking over / Jesus tells us to be vigilant)

[distracted]

November 28, 2009

Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 508

Reading 1
Dn 7:15-27

I, Daniel, found my spirit anguished within its covering of flesh,
and I was terrified by the visions of my mind.
I approached one of those present
and asked him what all this meant in truth;
in answer, he made known to me the meaning of the things:“These four great beasts stand for four kingdoms
which shall arise on the earth.
But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingship,
to possess it forever and ever.”

But I wished to make certain about the fourth beast,
so very terrible and different from the others,
devouring and crushing with its iron teeth and bronze claws,
and trampling with its feet what was left;
about the ten horns on its head, and the other one that sprang up,
before which three horns fell;
about the horn with the eyes and the mouth that spoke arrogantly,
which appeared greater than its fellows.
For, as I watched, that horn made war against the holy ones
and was victorious until the Ancient One arrived;
judgment was pronounced in favor of the holy ones of the Most High,
and the time came when the holy ones possessed the kingdom.
He answered me thus:

“The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth
different from all the others;
It shall devour the whole earth,
beat it down, and crush it.
The ten horns shall be ten kings
rising out of that kingdom;
another shall rise up after them,
Different from those before him,
who shall lay low three kings.
He shall speak against the Most High
and oppress the holy ones of the Most High,
thinking to change the feast days and the law.
They shall be handed over to him
for a year, two years, and a half-year.
But when the court is convened,
and his power is taken away
by final and absolute destruction,
Then the kingship and dominion and majesty
of all the kingdoms under the heavens
shall be given to the holy people of the Most High,
Whose Kingdom shall be everlasting:
all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

Responsorial Psalm
Daniel 3:82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
“You sons of men, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
“O Israel, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
“Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
“Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. *** Give glory and eternal praise to him.
“Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”***R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
“Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

Gospel
Lk 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

*i wonder if these OT readings have to do with things that have already happened or things that will happen in the very end… or both?? some scholars think that Revelation, which is similar to these readings, refers to the persecutions of Nero… I am not strong on end times speculations… (not sure i care to be… )

In any case, in the 2nd rdgs, Jesus warns us to always be ready… and not get caught up in the things of this world… sometimes difficult to do… *

 

[Bob_Crowley]

I think a bit of both. Some of the prophecies refer to the time until Christ arrives, and yet Christ’s words themselves have to apply to events after Him.

As I read the record, the late BC period for Israel was a difficult and violent time. I am sure that some, if not most, of the prophecies refer to that period.

But I also think that there are references to later events. I supposed I’ve imbibed at least a smidgin of Protestant thinking on “last days” stuff, but I do think there will be “ten kings” appointed by the Anti Christ, to administer the world during his control.

I remember my old Protestant pastor, who died in 1992, commenting about a certain Australian politician. His comment was “I think he might be one of the ‘ten kings’. He’ll be a real little tyrant. About the only thing we’ll have going for us will be his age. I don’t see these things happening until he’s in his seventies.”

The politician we were discussing turned seventy this year. So if the old bloke was right, the next few years are going to be instructive.

 

[distracted]

I think a bit of both. Some of the prophecies refer to the time until Christ arrives, and yet Christ’s words themselves have to apply to events after Him.

As I read the record, the late BC period for Israel was a difficult and violent time. I am sure that some, if not most, of the prophecies refer to that period.

But I also think that there are references to later events. I supposed I’ve imbibed at least a smidgin of Protestant thinking on “last days” stuff, but I do think there will be “ten kings” appointed by the Anti Christ, to administer the world during his control.

I remember my old Protestant pastor, who died in 1992, commenting about a certain Australian politician. His comment was “I think he might be one of the ‘ten kings’. He’ll be a real little tyrant. About the only thing we’ll have going for us will be his age. I don’t see these things happening until he’s in his seventies.”

The politician we were discussing turned seventy this year. So if the old bloke was right, the next few years are going to be instructive.

what was the deal about that guy? was he really evil or what?

i think the next few yrs are definitely going to be instructive regardless…

the last ELECTION in USA was instructive… to say the least… not sure i can deal with that kind of lesson though…

also How did you become Catholic? what 1st interested you in the Church? were you anti-Catholic once??

 

[Bob_Crowley]

what was the deal about that guy? was he really evil or what?

i think the next few yrs are definitely going to be instructive regardless…

the last ELECTION in USA was instructive… to say the least… not sure i can deal with that kind of lesson though…

also How did you become Catholic? what 1st interested you in the Church? were you anti-Catholic once??

I became Catholic through a sort of spiritual push. I suppose I was slowly getting disillusioned with the Protestant attitude of “it’s all in the Bible”, but I just got this insistent sort of shove to start moving towards the Catholic. I resisted for a while, but eventually push became shove and so I made the move.

The old pastor predicted I’d become Catholic, and I wasn’t even thinking about it at the time. As I said, I usually found he was accurate. Bear in mind he died in 1992, but he predicted that

1. His eldest son would have a major health crisis. He had a stroke around 1997, and hasn’t worked since. Prior to that he was an extremely capable man.
2. That my sister wouldn’t live long. I think he predicted leukemia. She died of Leukemia in 2005, aged 45.
3. That I’d be doing a cleaning job for a short time, that I wouldn’t like it much, and that the Lord would just want me to hear about a ghost. It sounded silly to me, but in 2006, I did a cleaning job for about four months, and heard about a ghost (a suicide). My role appeared to be to get a mass said for him.
4. That there’d be a second gulf war. “I think the Americans will have had enough of him (Saddam Hussein) and they’ll get rid of him. But I think they’ll lose a few men the next time”. Accurate enough.
5. “I think the Moslems will try to get a man into the White House. I think he’'ll be African American …” Well, you can make up your own mind on that one.
6. “I think there’ll be a conspiracy against you and you’ll lose your job. You’ll make a silly little mistake and they’ll use that to get rid of you. Your boss will kick himself later, but it will be too late.” I lost the job I had at the time in 1995, due to a “silly little mistake”, which was blown right out of proportion.

And so on. I found from experience he was hardly ever wrong. He could be discouraging for that reason alone, although he did have a tendency to discourage.

On the “evil” man, no, at face value he doesn’t seem evil, but the conversation went something like this.

We were talking about a labour party politician who was PM at the time. I said I thought he would do a lot of damage. The pastor replied, “I think if there’s going to be a PM who’ll do a lot of damage, it will be (name withheld).” He then went on with some personal opinions, including “He’s a spoilt brat” and “I think he might be one of the ten kings”.

Now at that time the politician wasn’t even leader of the opposition, and most people thought his political ambitions would be permanently stymied. But he became PM in 1996. So the pastor was correct about his forthcoming prime ministership at the very time when just about everybody else would not even have given it a thought, five years in advance.

Let’s just say that my opinion is that there will be a world wide dictatorship enforced by the US, and that there will be ten administrators appointed around the world as part of that. This particular politician does all he can to ingratiate himself with the US leadership, particularly the conservative faction.

Sorry, but I suspect the anti-Christ will be an American politician. Up front, he will initially seem nothing like the anti-Christ. Someone like Hitler or Stalin would be a dead giveaway. And I think our “king” will be the politician who turned 70 this year.

It’s a bit hard to pass on third hand just how accurate this particular wise old bird was.

 

[distracted]

I Sorry, but I suspect the anti-Christ will be an American politician. Up front, he will initially seem nothing like the anti-Christ. Someone like Hitler or Stalin would be a dead giveaway. And I think our “king” will be the politician who turned 70 this year.

It’s a bit hard to pass on third hand just how accurate this particular wise old bird was.

hmmm… interesting… i wonder if sometimes the gift of telling the future is from the devil??? just wondering… because the devil is very powerful in this world and can make things happen that he 9(through someone ) can predict… again, just wondering…

i don’t u/stand… How can the 70 yr old be a US “king”… when BHO is in office… (?)