Preparing Now

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No one becomes a martyr overnight. The strength to refuse the mark on the last day is built on all the ordinary days before it. Fr. Arminjon wrote that God announced this trial in advance so that we might “prepare ourselves even now to sustain it,” by turning to him in prayer and taking up “the spiritual weapons of charity and faith” (The End of the Present World, p. 48). Here is how.

1. The Holy Eucharist, while the Mass is freely offered

The prophet speaks of a day when “the daily sacrifice is abolished” (Daniel 12:11). I read that as the suppression of the Mass. During the pandemic we had a small taste of it: churches closed and altars without a congregation. Today the Mass is offered freely every day across the world. Do not take it for granted. Go on Sunday without fail, and on weekdays when you can. Spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. Whoever has learned to love Christ in the Eucharist will not easily bow to an image.

Let St. Carlo Acutis, the principal patron of the Ephesus Challenge, show the way. While still a boy he believed with all his heart that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, and he used his gifts to build a website on the Eucharistic miracles of the world, so that others might believe too. He called the Eucharist his “highway to heaven.” (See his page on A Great Sign.)

2. Confession

The beast's power works through deception, and sin darkens the mind. Frequent confession keeps the conscience clear and the eyes open. Go regularly, monthly if you can, and not only when you must.

3. The Rosary and consecration to Mary

The Woman clothed with the sun is the dragon's first enemy (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12). Our Lady asked at Fatima for the daily Rosary. Pray it daily, alone or as a family. Consider consecrating yourself to Jesus through Mary, as St. Louis de Montfort taught and St. John Paul II lived (Totus tuus).

4. Freedom from dependence on money

The mark controls buying and selling. Whoever cannot live without comfort, security and income will find refusal hardest. “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Practice detachment now: give generously, live simply, fast, and learn what you can do without. A little freedom today makes a great freedom possible tomorrow.

5. A community of faith

No one should face the trial alone. Know your parish, your neighbors and your family in the faith. Arminjon warned that in those days even “brother will hand over brother” (p. 50; Mark 13:12). Build now the friendships in Christ that will hold then: a prayer group, a Bible study, families who support one another.

6. The works of mercy

Charity is not only a weapon against the beast; it is the opposite of the beast. He exalts himself; love humbles itself to serve. Feed the hungry, visit the sick and the imprisoned, counsel the doubtful, and pray for the living and the dead. A heart formed by mercy has no room for the worship of power.

7. Know the faith

The deception will use Scripture itself. In the desert the devil quoted it to Christ, and Benedict XVI recalled Soloviev's Antichrist, a renowned Scripture scholar. Read the Bible daily, with the Church. Learn the Catechism, especially paragraphs 675–677 on the Church's final trial (CCC 675–677). Truth known and loved is the best defense against a lie.

8. Hope, and not fear

All of this is done in peace. “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The trial is measured and God holds the measure. The one who prepares out of love will not be surprised when the hour comes.

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