Rapture Busted!

I know exactly why the Rapture and devastating earthquakes predicted by Harold Camping and believed by so many of his followers did not happen. Those billboards and that expensive end of the world campaign and all those diligent volunteers (some of whom quit their jobs), caused so many thousands of people to pray (extra hard) that May 21st would be a non-event, which thank God it was. There was no unusual earthquake activity on the planet for that day. Many thousands I suspect (including myself) prayed that worldwide destruction wouldn't happen. The prayers were some added insurance. Of course I knew and wrote that it wasn't going to happen as Harold Camping had predicted. The calculations didn't make any sense to me, if they did I might have been alittle nervous. So I prayed as I often do for God's mercy, love and faithfulness for all people of good will and deep faith. Where would we be without God's mercy, forgiveness, love and creative, divine input? Where would we be without the Holy Spirit? Nowhere. Sensible believers of all faiths, who prayed for calm and peace that day and fervently lifted their prayers to God, outweighed the negativity, negative talk and false thinking and predictions.

In reality, I knew there wouldn't be a Rapture, because, first of all Catholics don't believe in the Rapture and second of all, God is a merciful God, a God who is always trying to help us at all times. God wants our salvation, peace, and wholeness. God desires justice and peace for the world and has given us the means to achieve it. I hope and pray the doomsday predictions never come true and that Judgment Day is a figurative scenario (not meant to be taken literally), in the Book of Revelation. Many well respected theologians believe what is written in the Book of Revelation about the end times is figurative.

Let's keep praying for that. God is love. It says that over and over again in the Bible and in different ways it demonstrates that truth.

I believe if there is ever an end time scenario, (God forbid!), we will most likely cause it ourselves through ignorance and greed. It will not come as a Judgment Day from God.

God is love. It's simple to understand, it needs no interpretation or calculation. God loves each of us more than we can imagine and certainly more than we can fit into our brains.

NJA

May 21st-The End of the World? Not!

All of the talk, discussion and articles about the end times coupled with the recent catastrophic events in Japan is unnerving. Certainly, the photographs and images of the extensive damage in parts of Japan and the horrific suffering and deaths of so many innocent people is apocalyptic, in some sense. The nuclear crisis in Japan is still not contained and who knows how much contamination there really is and how the population will be affected. Sadly, many Japanese people (and children) are living a nightmare, living in shelters, living with fear. My heart (and my prayers) goes out to them.

But is the world coming to an end? I doubt it. Most theologians would agree these are not the end times we are living through. It is a trying, anxiety-filled historical time for many, however, that's obvious to anyone who watches the news or reads newspapers.

Strangely, there is a group of "biblical devotees" who claim they've figured out that the world will come to an end in 2011 (not 2012 as many others claim). They are even going so far as paying for a billboard campaign warning people of the coming Judgment Day, which they believe will begin on May 21st with a huge earthquake.

According to an article I read titled, "Save the Date! Billboard Campaign Reminds Angelenos the End of Everything Is Coming," "Yesterday, KPCC's Patt Morrison spoke with Harold Camping from Family Radio, who explained that his group's research offered 'proofs and signs from the Bible' that 'judgment will be finalized' for the believers and non-believers in Jesus and that process will take five months, culminating in the ultimate end of everything on October 21st. 'We've come to the end of everything,' says Camping. That's a very scary prediction...you wonder what children think when they see billboards or hear discussions about that strange prediction.

In my opinion, I don't think it's right to put more fear and anxiety in people than they are already dealing with. It's hard enough for some people to get through the day, feed their families and worry about the economy and then you have predictions like this......

The Bible says that God is a merciful God and God says, "Fear not I am with you, Always...."

"I hold you in the palm of my hand..."

May is a month devoted to Mary in the Catholic tradition. The Church honors Mary with many Marian devotions during May. It's a holy month, with thousands of First Holy Communions, Confirmations, May Crownings and the recitations of Rosaries throughout the world. I doubt highly that there could be a judgment day in May. All the money spend on billboards announcing warnings of doomsday, which can frighten children and some adults, could have been better spent on the poor, the homeless and the environment.

Humankind needs to worry about human pride, pride is one of the deadly sins and it's doing real damage in our world.

NJA