In the Book of Judith, chapter 5, Achior gives Holofernes an account of the people of Israel. He informs him that he can’t overcome the people of God, because God is protecting him. But he tells him in the end of the discussion that if he wants to overcome them, get the people to sin, and then God will withdraw his protection. Drbo.org is a good Bible reference for this. When we read the Old Testament, we seem numerous examples of affliction and punishment on people because THEY DID NOT LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD. Many people seem never to notice or recognize God working in their lives. When things go wrong, they never consider God is chastising them, and trying to correct them. While things are going well, they assume nothing bad is going to happen.
Take drug addicts for example, and drug dealers. They don’t pay, and they wind up dead! Happens all the time. The irony is, it’s in the movies. You see the bad guys, and the addicts and other drug dealers dealing with them, and they betray them or don’t come up with the money, and bam! They’re dead! So how can people be so foolish as to get mixed up with people like that? They destroy so many lives, so they wind up getting destroyed themselves. “As a man sinneth, so also is he tormented.” Wisdom 11:17.
Another example. A young man went astray and wound up in prison for a few years. He had gotten a young girl pregnant, out of wedlock. Fornication, and now he has a little child by this girl. He finally gets out of prison, and there he goes again, fornicating with another girl and getting her pregnant. She has a child and now he’s a father to two little children by two mothers, and he’s not married to either one of them. Nor is he with either one of them. Then what happens? He has another girl friend. Then retribution finally comes again. God allows him to get caught and he goes back to prison for several years. Better for him to be in prison than to be an alley cat, getting girls pregnant and can’t even support them. He gets out of prison finally, and soon after, he’s right back in jail. All this time he’s leading an immoral life, and continuing to offend God and destroy other souls by his sin. When a man sins with a woman, or a woman sins with a man, they are murdering that other person’s soul spiritually. Drawing them down to hell, for a few short moments of sinful pleasure. Fr. Ronald Tangen once said of this, “How stupid can we be? How darkened our intellect, how weakened our will, to condemn ourselves to hell for all eternity, for 15 minutes of unlawful sexual pleasure, or missing Mass on Sunday to watch a football game!”
What about this other couple? Both of them married and divorced, living together in sin, in adultery, and what happens? She has health issues, and he gets into a serious accident, broken bones, broken back, and laid up for 6 months. “[8] But you do wrong and defraud, and that to your brethren. [9] Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, [10] Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.’’ 1 Cor. 6:8-10. How many thieves have we seen in the movies wind up dead?
Another man not married goes out with a woman, suspected of immoral activity, winds up in a car wreck with broken bones and a totaled car. Doesn’t go to church on Sunday to keep holy the Lord’s Day, takes God’s Holy Name in vain, profanity and so on. Sin has consequences, in this life, and also in the next. “[41] Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.’’ St. Matthew , chapter 25. If we continue to sin, our world will come crashing down upon us.
And what about the young man who was basically a heathen, went to church drunk and mocked the service, got a girl pregnant, and many other things. One man said of him, “He’s the most evil man I’ve ever met!” What happened to him? How did God punish him? One day he was out in his jeep, and his jeep overturned on him, and killed him! I knew this man personally.
God punished King David severely when he sinned with Bethsabee. David falleth into the crime of adultery with Bethsabee: and not finding other means to conceal it, causeth her husband Urias to be slain. Then marrieth her, who beareth him a son… [26] “And the wife of Urias heard that Urias her husband was dead, and she mourned for him. [27] And the mourning being over, David sent and brought her into his house, and she became his wife, and she bore him a son: and this thing which David had done, was displeasing to the Lord.” So what did God do? 1] ‘’And the Lord sent Nathan to David: and when he was come to him, he said to him: There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor. [2] The rich man had exceeding many sheep and oxen. [3] But the poor man had nothing at all but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and which had grown up in his house together with his children, eating of his bread, and drinking of his cup, and sleeping in his bosom: and it was unto him as a daughter. [4] And when a certain stranger was come to the rich man, he spared to take of his own sheep and oxen, to make a feast for that stranger, who was come to him, but took the poor man’s ewe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. [5] And David’s anger being exceedingly kindled against that man, he said to Nathan: As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this is a child of death.
[6] He shall restore the ewe fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity. [7] And Nathan said to David: Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee from the hand of Saul, [8] And gave thee thy master’s house and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and Juda: and if these things be little, I shall add far greater things unto thee. [9] Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in my sight? Thou hast killed Urias the Hethite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. [10] Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Urias the Hethite to be thy wife.
[11] Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes and give them to thy neighhour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. [12] For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of the sun. [13] And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die. [14] Nevertheless, because thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, for this thing, the child that is born to thee, shall surely die. [15] And Nathan returned to his house. The Lord also struck the child which the wife of Urias had borne to David, and his life was despaired of… [18] And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died: and the servants of David feared to tell him, that the child was dead.’’ 2nd Book of Kings (2 Samuel) Chapter 12. You see, David lost his son because of his sin, and moreover, God told him the sword should never depart from his house. Affliction all the days of his life.
He was also chastised in his flesh. He lost his health for some time, and it was so painful he roared like a lion, he said. ‘’ [4] There is no health in my flesh, because of thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins. [5] For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me. [6] My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness. [7] I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the day long. [8] For my loins are filled with illusions; and there is no health in my flesh. [9] I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I roared with the groaning of my heart.’’ Psalms 37:4-9. As the Scripture says, “He that sinneth in the sight of his Maker, shall fall into the hands of the physician.’’ Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 38:15. The man who offends God gravely can expect to either have a bad accident, or a serious illness.
Another example for people who work on Sunday. We are forbidden to work on the Lord’s Day. It belongs to him, not to us. He gave us 6 days to work and kept one for himself. St. John Vianney said when we work on his Day, we steal his day from him. It should suffice to know that this being one of the Ten Commandments, it is quite serious to break any one of them. In Numbers chapter 15, they caught a man just picking up sticks on the Sabbath. Just picking up sticks. They took him to Moses, and Moses asked God what they should do with him, and God said, “Stone him to death.” Fr. Leslie Rumble said, “The seriousness of the punishment shows the seriousness of the crime.” Here we also see an example of the death penalty for certain crimes, ordained by God himself, contrary to what so many ministers today now say is unjust. Many people make excuses why they need to work on Sunday. One day a lady asked St. John Vianney if they could get their hay in, on that Sunday. He said, “No, you may not get your hay in,” but she said, “But Father, it’s our livelihood. We need to get our hay in.” He replied, “No, you may not get your hay in!” She disregarded his advice. That night, the woman died!
There were three traders one time took their goods to the market. Being a Saturday, two wanted to go on back home, but the third insisted, “No, we should spend the night and go to Mass. Then go home tomorrow. There are plenty inns if we don’t make it home.” They would not hear of it but headed on home. A terrible flood came up, and as they were crossing the bridge on their horses, the bridge collapsed, and they fell in the river and were drowned. Some people witnessed the terrible event and were able to draw them out of the water, and laid them on the bank. When the third man had finished his duty of assisting at Mass, he was going home with a light heart, when all of a sudden, he came upon the dreadful sight. Recognizing his former friends, and how God preserved him because of his Mass, he ever after thanked God for his safety, and instructed his wife and children when getting home of the necessity of always fulfilling God’s commandment, and how God preserved him by doing so. It goes back to the lesson in Judith mentioned above, that when we do God’s will, He protects us; and when we do not, he withdraws his protection.
Moreover, what is another very grievous way men break a commandment of God, and are punished for it? Taking the Lord’s Name in vain. In the time of St. Joan of Arc, she heard a man take God’s Name in vain, and she warned him he only had a short time to live. He said, “So that’s the maid , is it? Well, by God, let me have her for a night and she won’t be a maid any longer.” Joan reigned in her horse for a moment and said to him, “Why do you take God’s Name in vain like that when you have such a short time to live?” An hour later, he slipped in the river and drowned.
Another man in our own time used to swear and take God’s Name often. His little girl died at 12. Another man did likewise. His son was killed in an auto accident at 16. These curses men use brings down curses on their homes, and family. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 23:12: ‘’ A man that sweareth much, shall be filled with iniquity, and a scourge shall not depart from his house.’’ He brings down a scourge on his own home.
Then you have the man in the time of Fr. Paul of Moll who often blasphemed. He developed a cancer in his tongue. He asked Fr. Paul to cure him. Fr. Paul told him he could be cured if he ceased to blaspheme. He improved for a while, but fell again into his previous habit. The cancer worsened, and the man died. You see? He sinned with his tongue, then his tongue was afflicted because of his sin. “By what things a man sinneth, so also is he tormented.” Wisdom 11:17. As Fr. Leslie Rumble said, “The seriousness of the punishment shows the seriousness of the crime.” We don’t take these things serious, but God does.
What about those who birth control, and only have 2 or 3 children? Sometimes they lose one of the children they did have. One couple only had 3 children. The youngest was killed in a car accident when he was only a teenager. Another couple only had two. Their son was also killed at a young age, before reaching the age of 20. Even in the movie Courageous, the couple that only had two children lost their little girl of 9 years. Their oldest son was 15. What had they been doing for 6 years? Is birth control a serious sin? Well, God slew Onan for it. ‘’ He (Onan) knowing that the children should not be his, when he went in to his brother’s wife, spilled his seed upon the ground, lest children should be born in his brother’s name. And therefore the Lord slew him, because he did a detestable thing.’’ Genesis 38:9-10. What would you think of a farmer who had good seed, but didn’t want to harvest it, so he goes out and sows it at a time in winter when it will not grow, or sows it among the rocks and thorns where there is no soil? Would you not think he was insane? This is what birth controllers do, because they don’t want the worry and responsibility of children. Like Onan, they waste their seed. St. John Vianney told a woman one time who was burdened with another pregnancy: “On the day of judgement, you will see many women damned to hell, for not giving to the world the children they were supposed to.”
We have not yet considered those who profane the House of the Lord. King Belshazzar stole the sacred vessels from the temple, and began to party with them. Suddenly, they saw a hand writing on the wall. The king suddenly sobered up, his face turned white, he was terrified and his hips joints shook, and his knees knocked. Then the writing on the wall said: Mene, Tekel, and Peres, which means: Mene – God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. Tekel – You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Peres – Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. THAT SAME NIGHT THE KING WAS KILLED! Daniel, chapter 5. What shall we say of those who in our day defile the House of God by immodest dress, and the clergy who allow it? Woe unto them! Retribution will come, sooner or later.
Finally, there are those who speak evil against the true faith, who speak falsely about the doctrines were are supposed to hold firm to, heretics we are speaking of, who disbelieve the truths of the faith, who follow their own judgement as St. Paul said, and condemning themselves by it, Titus 3:10-11. One such man was the notorious heretic Nestorious, who denied among other things, that the Blessed Virgin Mary was the Mother of God. What was his fate? St. Alphonsus tells us, “Nestorious died of a cancer which rotted his tongue, which was consumed with worms engendered by the disease – a fit punishment for that tongue which hath uttered so many blasphemies against Jesus Christ, and his most Holy Mother.’’ If we continue to sin, our world will come crashing down upon us. Retribution will come – sooner or later.
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Prophecies of Blessed Elena Aiello MotherofGodlibrary.org
Prophecies of Blessed Elizabeth Canori Mora https://tinyurl.com/3u9nrypy