A reader is jittery and distracted by prophetic fads

She writes:

We’re less than two weeks away from September 1st.  People have been freaking out about this month all year.  This is a repeat of the Y2K and 2012 fears.  Society is supposed to go belly-up this month.  People are panicking about the Shemitah (isn’t that a work of fiction?).  Self-proclaimed prophets not sanctioned by the Church are all over the place, traveling the country  and “counseling” fearful people.

I would like this madness to end so I can get my kids back to school and carve the pumpkins in between daily prayer.  Surely that isn’t an unreasonable request…

Plan for a  nice dinner on October 1, bring this junk to the Eucharist, leave it there, receive hope and peace, and go do the next practical thing.  Pay no attention to these quacks and devote you attention instead to some good spiritual reading from a reliable writer, preferably ancient. 🙂

One handy thing to do is contemplate Scriptures like this:

And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” (Lk 21:8–9).

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, ¶ not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.* ¶ Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness† is revealed, the son of perdition, ¶ who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. ¶ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ‡ ¶ And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming. ¶ The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¶ Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¶ So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Th 2:1–15).

Another useful thing to do is simply look at all the many many time the End Timers have been wrong.  Are the bishops and the Pope telling us to batten down the hatches and be afraid of the Evil Month of September?  Nope.  Francis is telling us to get out there, get to work and be glad and joyful.  The Enemy wants to stop that and if fear will do the trick he’ll use that.

Be not afraid.  And look forward with anticipation to October 1 and all the laughs you’ll have around the table.