St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) is among the few saints – if not the only one – who looks to the future of the Church. No one else, neither before nor after, spoke about the apostles of the last times who prepare the glorious return of Jesus fighting the last apocalyptic battle which will precede the advent of the Reign which we ask for in the Our Father.
In our publication download (“The apostles of the last times in Montfort and today”) we studied this subject in depth by rereading the writings of Montfort in the light of Scriptures in the passages that talk about the last times, and comparing them with the events of Fatima and with the teachings of John Paul II, the most famous ecclesiastic supporter of the consecration to Christ through Mary according to Montfort.
From these reflections a few marvellous, and at the same time disturbing, questions have emerged:
- Mary “will crush the head of the devil and will allow Jesus Christ to triumph” by means of her “heel”, that is “her humble slaves and her poor children”. The term used by Montfort is “enfant”, which can be translated as “son” and “child”: are children also included among these “apostles of the last times”?
- Are the times we are living the “last times” which Montfort refers to in the Treatise on true devotion when he talks about “the devil’s last cruel persecutions”?
- According to Montfort at the end of times there will be the return of Jesus with might in “a flood of Fire” of the Holy Spirit who will transform humanity interiorly (PI 16); at the same time however he also speaks about another fire “which will burn the whole world to ashes” (PI 17): do these two manifestations immediately follow each other, one which constructs spirits and the other which destroys matter? Or is it a subsequent coming which will definitely disintegrate the earth, as some theologians claim? Or will everything be summed up in a single intervention of Mercy which won’t destroy the earth, but will rather regenerate it by bringing about “new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65,17; 2Pt 3,13)?
In the light of Fatima, with regard to the thoughts of John Paul II and the words of St. Pio of Pietralcina (“Children will save the world”) we believe that among the apostles of the last times there are rightfully children with the unconditional offering of themselves (“Mother, I give you my heart and will, for eternity, save humanity”) and with the recitation of the rosary. Their actions will be decisive so that everything ends up in a marvellous intervention of Mercy.
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