St. Vincent Ferrer 1419
![[image of Saint Vincent]](./st%20vincent%20ferrer_files/image004.jpg "30kb jpg detail from the polyptych of Saint Vincenzo Ferreri, by Giovannit Bellini, 1464-1468, Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice; please do not write to ask about the image")
Feastday 5th April
Born 1350
Died 1419
Dominican
Friar at age 18 against his family's wishes. Doctor of theology. Priest.
Missionary. Taught theology. Adviser to the King of Aragon. Great preacher who
converted thousands in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, England,
Scotland, and Ireland. Invited to preach in Muslim Granada. Counselor to Pope
Benedict XIII. Travelled through Spain, France, Switzerland, and Italy to end
the Great Schism. Had the gift of tongues. Miracle worker. 1
1. Taken from the Patron
Saints Index http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintv03.htm
“By
Revelation it is manifestly shown that the whole duration of the world rests on
a certain conditional prolongation obtained by the Virgin Mary in the hope of
the conversion and correction of the World…”1
“In
the days of peace that are to come after the desolation of revolutions and
wars, before the end of the world, the Christians will become so lax in their
religion that they will refuse to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation,
saying, 'It is an unnecessary Sacrament.'; and when the false prophet and the
Anti-Christ comes, all who are not confirmed will apostatize, while those who
are confirmed will stand firm in the faith, and only a few will renounce
Christ….“ 2
“Armies
from west, east and north will fight in Italy. The Eagle (Great Monarch) will
capture the false king. All the world shall be made obedient to him and a
reformation will ensure throughout the world. Woe unto the shaven orders whose
crowns are shaved…” 3
“Now
he will be a veritable man but so proud that not only will he desire to have
universal dominion in the whole world but will even demand to be called a god
and will insist on receiving divine worship…” 4
“The
first affliction to come on the world in a short space of time is the advent of
the antichrist a diabolical man who will bring darkness on the whole world. “ 5
Again
antichrist will direct his attacks against simple folk who because their hearts
are turned to Him in rectitude and intention are so pleasing to God. He will
make use of magic and produce life like apparitions which after all the merest
trickery. He will bring fire down from heaven and make images speak for the
demon can cause their lips to move. To all appearance he will recall the dead
spirit of your father, the phantom infants will seem to speak….” 6
“You
must know that Antichrist will perform other prodigies by the power of demons
and these will be true miracles according to the nature of things in themselves
but false in regard to the definition of a miracle (i.e by the power of God).
For he will cause images and babes of a month old to speak. The followers of
antichrist will question these statues or babies and they will make answer concerning
this lord who has come in the latter times, affirming that he is the saviour.
The deil will move their lips and form the words they utter when they declare
the antichrist to be the true saviour of the world and this way he will cause
the destruction of many souls…” 7
“Those
in the 3rd category whom he will try to seduce are learned folk such
as masters and doctors of civil and canon law who can argue and grasp the proof
of things. Against these antichrist will weave spells of enchantments, bringing
out the most subtle arguments, the most seductive reasoning, to render these
learned men tongue-tied and incapable of answering. It is not difficult to
understand how this is done since the demon already holds their souls in the
chains of sin, for the greater their knowledge the more heavy burdened will be
their consciences if they do not live upto it. If he can hold their souls on
chains it is easy for him to bind a morsel of flesh like the tongue so that
they cannot speak except when and what he chooses.” 8
“The
remedy for this state of bondage is faith, which follows simple obedience and
not argument or reasoning. Argument may be good for the strengthening of
intelligence but it is not the true foundation of faith. Those whose faith
rests on reason will lose it when they hear the specious reasoning of
antichrist. Those on the contrary who rely on a firm belief founded on
obedience will reply “away with your arguments! Such reasonings are not the
grounds of my faith…”
“The temporal lords and ecclesiastical prelates for fear of losing their power or position will be on his side, since there will exist neither king nor prelate unless he wills it…”
References
1.
The Angel of the Judgment S.M.C. (Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Indiana)
p98 as quoted by Desmond A. Birch Trial Tribulation and Triumph: Before,
During and After Antichrist, (Queenship Publishing. 1996) p 559
2. Rev R. Gerald. Culleton The Prophets and Our Times (Tan Books and Publishers 1941) p 155
3. Catholic Prophecy p 31 as quoted by Desmond A. Birch Trial Tribulation and Triumph: Before, During and After Antichrist, (Queenship Publishing. 1996) p 265
4. ibid p 460
5.
ibid p 461
6.
ibid p
7.
ibid
8.
ibid p 462
9.
ibid
10.
ibid p 463