With a Faith that can move mountains, Pope John II invites all human beings, all children of the same God, the Eternal Father, to return to the house of the Father, to the Gospel of Christ, on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of the year 2000. This is the only way that leads to peace and happiness.
When one looks at the sad situation of the world today, we are moved by the optimism of the Holy Father. His trust in God and in the Immaculate Virgin Mary is complete. He fully lives his consecration of Slave of Jesus through Mary. He is led by the hand of the Immaculate, who shows Him the goodness of the Father, by saying to him, "Do not be afraid", and the Holy Father repeats to everyone, "Do not be afraid, open your doors to Christ!"
In front of the enthusiasm of the Holy Father and his masterful spirit that wishes to bring back to the Eternal Father all the lost sheep, on the occasion of the Great Jubilee, we are not surprised to see the grimaces of Satan with his year 2000 (or Y2K) computer bug which will have disastrous consequences, according to some experts. Satan is working to smother the voice of the Pope who shows us the way to salvation, by reasserting the truths of the Faith. "Here is what the Creator told human beings to and not to do," the Pope says. "If you want to be saved, come, the Father will receive you in His open arms." God opens His arms even to the greatest sinners, the "black sheep", as long as they repent and make the resolution not to offend God anymore.
Yes, let us all return to God the Father; let us return to His Commandments, which are so simple and yet so wise, and that can bring us back to common sense, equilibrium, and joy of live, by loving our brothers and sisters, just like God loved us. God loved us so much that He gave us His Son to redeem us. Yes, God loves us, we are His children. And our Father is almighty.
Let us stop being afraid of the millennium bug, even though some predict a gloomy future, a catastrophe without precedent. Let us hold our heads up. Let us return to the state of grace, a state of friendship with God; let us go to the confessional to confess our sins. Let us keep Sundays holy; let us no longer commit the serious sin of not going to Mass on Sundays, and of working manually on Sundays. Let us stop undressing ourselves like cannibals. Let us stop committing adultery. These serious sins, which are unfortunately so widespread, bring the greatest disasters upon our nations. When people abandon God, God lets them go on their own.
The terrible effects announced on the occasion of the millennium bug are only the consequences of having given up the precepts of the Gospel. Let us repent and return to these precepts, and the disasters will disappear. The millennium bug, or Year 2000 computer problem, is the modern Tower of Babel. Man wants to be above God, with his science that he received from God, but by working without God, it all ends up in confusion, just like with the Tower of Babel (Babylon in Hebrew).
The Blessed Virgin Mary, loved by God, the only creature who perfectly accomplished God's will on earth, She who was chosen by God to be the Mother of the Redeemer, and who was crowned Queen in Heaven, showed us the way to salvation when She spoke to the three little shepherds of Fatima. Of course, she also showed them the disasters men deserved by their sins; She showed hell with the damned, which really scared the little seers.
Father Joseph A. Pelletier wrote in his book on Fatima: "In order to awaken consciences and give them a clear idea of the danger that threatens them, Mary reminded us of the kind of punishment that mortal sins deserve: the eternal pains of hell and the temporal sufferings caused by wars, persecution, tyranny (of totalitarian governments)."
In 1999, the kind of tyranny that threatens us, because of our countless sins, is the despotism of an atheistic one-world government, which now has the means to control every individual, with a microchip implanted in their hands, to keep track of all of their moves.
But in Fatima, as a good Mother, after having showed the little shepherds the punishments caused by our sins, the Virgin Mary did not leave us without recourse. She promised that, in the end, Her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart will triumph, and showed us the means to avoid curses: the daily recitation of the Rosary, the consecration to Her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, to receive Holy Communion to make atonement the first Saturday of the month, voluntary sacrifices.
These means are simple, but very efficient to obtain peace in the world and eternal salvation, and also to spare us from the tyranny of an atheistic world government.
We would no longer fear the effects of the millennium bug and all other disasters, if we follow the advice of our good Mother of Heaven, and throw ourselves at the feet of the Eternal Father and ask forgiveness for our sins, by having recourse to the sacrament of Penance.
Then, once reconciliated and forgiven, like children of God, we will join Pope John Paul II to celebrate in joy the 2000th Anniversary of the birth of our Divine Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who is the only one who can bring peace to the world.
Thérèse Tardif
Last December 14, Pope John Paul II said to the Bishops of Australia, at the conclusion of their ad limina visit:
"In preparing and celebrating the forthcoming Great Jubilee as a time of conversion and reconciliation, there is also ample room for a great catechizing effort in relation to the sacrament of Penance... The Church in Australia should invite Catholics to encounter anew the saving mystery of the Father's love and mercy through that uniquely profound and transforming human experience that is individual, integral confession and absolution. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out, this remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church (cf. n. 1484). The personal nature of sin, conversion, forgiveness and reconciliation is the reason why the Second Rite of Penance demands the personal confession of sins and individual absolution. It is for this same reason that general confession and general absolution are appropriate only in cases of grave necessity, clearly determined by liturgical and canonical norms."
1456 The confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession..."
1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as He is merciful.
1415 Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of Penance.
2180-2181 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass... and to refrain from servile work. The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.
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