The Apocalypse - Letter by Letter: Healing the Schism?
The Apocalypse - Letter by Letter
Blog to discuss the book "The Apocalypse - Letter by Letter: A Literary Analysis of the Book of Revelation" and current events that point to the events described therein.
From Catholic World News comes word that some progress may have been made regarding the Catholic-Orthodox Schism.
Here is an excerpt from The Apocalypse - Letter by Letter that explains the significance of this rift in revelation history:
Since the first trumpet announced the barbarian invasions in the western and northern regions of the Roman Empire, and since the second announced the spread of Islam in North Africa, there are only two large regions left: the Middle East and the Balkans. The Middle East does not fit the description. Besides, as will be shown, the fifth plague will affect the Middle East; and God does not indulge in redundancy. So, the Balkans it is, and the event was the Greek Schism. The "great star" indicates that a Patriarch, an archbishop, defected from the Church. The "waters" symbolize the life or graces of Christ's Church, as given through the sacraments. The Patriarch was given the name "Wormwood" on account of his defection; thus, the waters became "wormwood"; and many of the people died [spiritually] because the water "was made bitter." Wormwood is bitter but it is not poisonous. Therefore, since the metaphor contradicts nature, it means that something contradictory to God's order happened.
Note that the "great star" continued burning brightly, as it fell; this means the Patriarch continued to teach all the truths Christ taught, except one: to remain in the Catholic Church. That Patriarch led one third of the Church's territory into schism.
Jeremiah, in 9:12-14, gives an explanation,
"The Lord answered: Because they have abandoned my law, which I set before them, and have not followed it or listened to my voice, but followed rather the hardness of their hearts and the Baals, as their fathers had taught them; therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: See, now I will give them wormwood to eat and poison to drink."
The spiritual and temporal graces or blessings for the Jews' obedience to God were "milk and honey"; disobedience resulted in their being fed wormwood. The people are culpable, but God knows who the principal culprits are:
(1) pseudo-prophets who make false claims about receiving revelations, apparitions, locutions, etc., even though they knew that God had not appointed them to the office. (2) perverse priests who give scandal, by example of injustice and fornication, to the people, thus inciting imitation of their evil activities, until general death eventuates.
Jeremiah, in 23:11-15, spoke as God commanded him,
11 Both prophet and priest are godless! In my very house I find their wickedness, says the Lord. 12 Hence their way shall become for them slippery ground. In the darkness they shall lose their footing, and fall headlong; evil I will bring upon them: the year of their punishment, says the Lord. 13 Among Samaria's prophets I saw unseemly deeds: they prophesied by Baal and led my people astray. 14 But among Jerusalem's prophets I saw deeds still more shocking: adultery, living in lies, siding with the wicked, so that no one turns from evil; to me they are all like Sodom, its citizens like Gomorrah. 15 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts against the prophets: Behold, I will give them wormwood to eat, and poison to drink...
So far, the worst consequence of the Greek Schism has been Communist Russia; after a brief respite, far worse will come, for the schism will still be unhealed "unto the testimony to the nations." Schism does not per se pollute the sacraments; but, those who receive them from schismatics, knowing they are schismatics, will commit sacrilege, will "drink poison."
