“Ask a Priest: What If a Priest Is Warning of the End?”
Q: How can I respond to a friend who believes in the prophecies of a certain priest who claims to receive instructions from St. John, the Blessed Mother and others regarding the end of times? He instructs his followers to hoard food and build refuges to prepare for “The Warning.” How can I kindly explain to my friend that no one knows when the end of times will happen? She is convinced he is a prophet. – G.L.
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
A: As you mention, no one, save God, knows when the end times will arrive. “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32).
So, if the angels in heaven don’t know the hour, it’s unlikely that anyone in this world knows it.
Moreover, talk of private revelations and warnings to hoard food always sound a bit suspect.
If the end times are really coming, a genuine prophet would be calling people to repent, not to stockpile vittles.
There has been a lot of end-times speculation lately. It’s the kind of thing that pops up when people and whole societies are facing a crisis.
Perhaps you could encourage your friend to keep calm and hopeful, and to keep her attention on Christ, the King of the universe. In his hands we will find our only security.
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