The first Francis, St. Francis of Assisi was an enigma to the world which he utterly rejected. The second Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio and hailed as Pope Francis is embraced by the world and acclaimed as a modern day saint by that very world he so skillfully courts.
The first Francis, St. Francis of Assisi, took to heart Our Lord’s command in the Gospel, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16, 24). Although even his own followers at times rejected the severity of his insistence on following Christ with total poverty, for St. Francis it was simply a matter of total trust in Our Lord Jesus Christ. A beautiful saying of St. Francis inspires us still, “May I die, O Lord, through love of Thee, Who through love of me didst not disdain to die!” On 3 October, 1226, two years after being blessed with the suffering of the stigmata, his desire was fulfilled and he entered into complete union with his Beloved.
Shortly before he died, St. Francis of Assisi called together his followers and warned them of the troubles to come in the future, saying:
The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death.
Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
Those who preserve in their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. but the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head, [Christ] these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true pastor but a destroyer.” (From The Works of the Seraphic Father, Washbourne, 1882, available online: Archive.org)
The second Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, has already been canonized by the world media, both secular and ostensibly Catholic for his “poverty” and “mercy”. in fact Elton John has already facetiously called for Pope Francis to be canonized for his “compassion”. Although this latter-day Francis speaks often about mercy, he has brutally suppressed the Franciscans of the Immaculate, who are truly following the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi’s order. And although he speaks often about poverty, he leaves his many worldly followers in the utmost poverty by failing to provide them with the food they need to nurture their eternal souls. “For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?” (Matthew 16, 26)
What do you think? Is the prophecy of St. Francis a foretelling of these days, of this Pope? Many of us are suspecting the worst, but in any event we may have our answer by the next Synod in October this year, 98 years after the last appearance of Our Lady of the Rosary at Fatima. May St. Francis of Assisi bless Pope Francis that he repent and be converted.
Pray the Rosary and confound satan!
~ by evensong for love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary