Is Covid-19 God’s chastisement? – 4

By Modesto P. Sa-onoy

We quoted yesterday the message of Our Lady of Fatima calling on the world for penance. Connect this to her message on Oct. 13, 1973, at Akita. Keep in mind this was 45 years ago.

Our Lady said “if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms that will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests.”

We are not seeing “fire falling from the sky” but a tiny virus spreading disease and death just the same. “Fire from the sky” had been used since ancient times to emphasize the anger of God against sinful humanity. Our Lady continues:

“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres… churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”

How true and indeed we are witnessing conflicts within the higher ranks of the Church and those loyal to the orthodoxy are ridiculed. We have seen compromise with clearly moral evil. There is silence amidst evil.

“The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sorrow. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them (seen to mean those who refuse to repent and convert).”

Our Lady in Fatima and Akita appears to reflect her Son Jesus’ words in Revelation (3:10), “I will keep you safe in the time of trial that is going to come to the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”

But hope remains. This dire possibility doesn’t have to be in store. Heaven can modify. There can be changes if the world repents as the Blessed Mother asked.

Our Lady ended with hope at Akita, echoing Fatima, saying, “Pray the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved.” Indeed, there is hope as now we are getting numerous news about calls for prayer and repentance and even Presidents Trump and Duterte have called for prayers.

We still have a chance if only we accept and put into practice Our Lady of Fatima’s directives and wishes. How much clearer can they be?

On May 13, 1982, St. John Paul II also emphasized: “And so, while the message of Our Lady of Fatima is a motherly one, it is also strong and decisive. It sounds severe. It sounds like John the Baptist speaking on the banks of the Jordan. It invites to repentance. It gives a warning. It calls to prayer. It recommends the Rosary.” Her appeal…in accordance with the ever new ‘signs of the times’…must be unceasingly returned to.” He did not leave out hope. He concluded with great hope. But we must listen and put into practice, we’ve got to do that starting now.”

Churches are closed but prayers are not. The quarantine has some good effects. People have time to contemplate and pray as a family.

Just to refresh our readers, the record told this story of the vision of Pope Leo XIII while he was celebrating Mass. The Pope heard the voice of Satan telling God that he can destroy the Church in 100 years if given enough power. And God told Satan that he can do what he willed within that time. Satan could choose a single century to do his worst. Satan chose the 20^th century. This vision happened the last quarter of the 19^th century.