"最后的警告" —
圣方济各·亚西西 (St.Francis of Assisi,1182年7月5日-1226年10月3日) 是意大利备受爱戴的圣人,原名若望 • 伯尔纳道奈,他父亲后来给他改名为方济各。他的父亲是位富有的布料商人。年少时方济各多半花时间在读书及学习拉丁文上面,也常常喜欢和他的贵族朋友一起吃喝玩乐。可是,他很快地对现实周遭环境有所领悟,在加入了军队后却被抓,当了战俘,后因患病而获释回家。
自此方济各的思想开始改变,以信仰作为生活的准则,他穿着破旧的外衣,挨户求乞,四出宣扬福音,并特别关怀弱小的。他创作歌咏,常赞美造物主及大自然,照顾麻疯病患者,修建圣堂。起初受到众人的讥笑,但他清贫刻苦的精神吸引了多人与他一起生活,后来更获赐了五伤的印记。
方济各在最后两年在痛苦的生活中渡过,他健康一天比一天恶化,视力大损。去世前不久,他写过六份遗嘱,那是他给后人的精神遗产。
最重要,临终前,他警告他的跟随者将来有的大灾难:
"In Those Days Jesus Christ Will Send Them Not A True Pastor, But A Destroyer."
--St. Francis of Assisi
"1. 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.
"2. 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 endeavour to draw many into error and death.
"3. 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.
"4. 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.
"5. 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.
"6. Those who preserve their fervour 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.
"7. 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."
亚西西的圣方济在临终前召集了他的同伴,警告他们将来临的考验:
1日子快近了,那时将出现极大的考验与苦难,困惑与纷争,包括精神上的与现世的;许多人的会变冷淡,邪恶的思想会增多。
2恶魔将获得不寻常的能力,我们修会与其他修会的纯洁将堙没,只有极少的天主教徒会怀着忠贞之心与完美的爱,服从真正的教宗与罗马教会。在这磨难之日,有一个人,不按教规被选举为教宗,他将用自己的狡诈,努力地把许多人带入错误与死亡。
3丑闻将成倍增加,我们修会被分裂,许多其他修会将完全被摧毁,因为他们赞成错误而非反对。
4将有如此多不同意见,分裂在人们、虔诚者与神职人员之间产生。根据福音记载,若不是天主无限的仁慈,将那时曰缩短。在这如此大的困惑中,若没有被特别指引,即使被选者,也会陷入错误。
5某些人会激烈地反对我们的规则与生活方式,可怕的考验将临到我们。忠信的人们将接受生命之冠。那些唯独相信他们(译者按:教会内属于共济会的高层神职人员)指令的人有灾难了,他们将陷入冷淡,因他们无法战胜诱惑,这诱惑是被允许的,以证明被选者的身份。
6那些保存热心,持守美德,热爱真理的人,会遭受伤害与宗教迫害,被指责为反叛者与分裂者;迫害他们的人受邪恶精神鞭策,会说自己从地上除掉如此有害之人,是极大地服务天主。但天主是遭难者的避难所,将拯救所有信赖他的人。为了相似基督,这些被选者将怀着信德做事,他们用自己的死亡赢得他们永恒的生命;选择服从天主而不是人,他们无所畏惧,他们宁原死亡也不同意谎言与不忠。
7.一些传教士将对真理保持沉默,另一些人将把它踩在脚底否认它。生命之神圣将成为笑柄,包括那些表面上承认它的人.在那些日子里耶稣基督派给他们的不是真牧人,而是毁灭者。
GladiusMariae翻译
这段预言是方济各在临终前作出最后的警告,当中描述当天主教出现很多丑闻时候,就是最后一任教皇上任,而这就是毁灭者、是末日之时、审判会临到的时间。届时,唯有真爱神,在信仰中坚持的人才能胜过挑战。
该预言出自《Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis OfAssisi》的248-250页,本书链接https://pan.baidu.com/s/1nwi9ubv
“Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi”
Saint Francis (of Assisi), 1882, pp. 248-250,