Oklahomily - Does Strange Comet have Prophetic Significance?

An even earlier prophecy by St. Hilarion (291-371 A.D.), mentions a comet:

"One day, before the Comet shines, a lot of People (that inspired present company excepted) from Need and Misery will be wanting a Home. The great Empire in the Sea, who are a different Folk stock and origin, will be devastated by Earthquake, Storm and Flood. This Empire will suffer much Misfortune from the Sea. It will be divided into two islands and part of it will sink. The distant possession in the East will be lost through a Tiger and a Lion."

This could mean England, of course. Its wording is close to that of St. Hildegard.

These citations are but a few of many prophetic utterances made over the past twenty centuries. We bring them up now because the arrival of an unusual comet seems as good a reminder as any that the Scientist-Priests of our time, although they make their measurements carefully and speak in precise terms, do not know what they do not know. Because science properly concerns itself with observations and the testing of theories, and does not attempt to analyze or explain the supernatural, it by definition has a blind spot toward those events that are affected by God. (For those who believe in a living God whose Will and Presence acts upon that creation we call the universe, there are no events unaffected by God.)

Is Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 the comet of the prophecies?

Probably not. There are indications within some prophecies that the comet will arrive after a great world war has begun that pits the Christian West against Muslims and their allies from the east (including Russia). But this is not certain, and the difficulty of prophecy remains that even the prophets were often very unsure of the exact chronology of the visions they witnessed.

On the other hand, history - especially the history of our faith - often repeats itself, as God gives us repetitions to guide us, to teach us, and to prepare us. Another word for it is “foreshadowing.” Just as Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea in a foreshadowing of Jesus leading us through the baptism of water and the holy spirit (the sacrament of initiation into the Church), so too do natural events repeat.

In the past 16 months the world has witnessed the Great Tsunami that killed well over 300,000 (possibly many more) along the shores of the nations of the Indian Ocean. We also saw devastating hurricanes in the United States that caused billions of dollars in damages and threatened to erase a major city from existence (New Orleans).

If you believe in God, you can easily see these as chastisements - terrible warnings to the wicked and faithful alike to mend our ways. Contrary to our human way of thinking, God does not allow these things to punish us, but as merciful warnings so that the next repetition is not worse. He hopes that we will ponder our ways, change our hearts, and reform our lives.

We note that another comet article, at ScienceDaily.com, has as its title, “The Comet with a Broken Heart.” It’s an odd title for a science article, and it provides yet another mysterious glimpse into the uncertainty of even astronomers to understand what it is that is causing this celestial “sign and wonder.”

Finally, we should not fail to mention that Christians are not required to put any faith whatsoever in private prophecies. If you’d rather stick to the active practice of your faith and the basics of working out your salvation in fear and trembling, that’s just fine.

But even Saint Paul wrote in First Corinthians that the gift of prophecy was part of the inheritance of the Church, given to members of the Body of Christ, for “building up, encouragement (and) solace” of other members. He even says that we are to “strive to prophesy”! Yet he cautions in First Thessalonians that we should “not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good.”

This comes under the heading of discernment. Prayer is indispensable to good discernment. So is embracing the joy of your faith and not succumbing to a spirit of fear.

We live in strange and interesting times. There is evil manifest in every newscast, and in so much of what constitutes daily life. Yet there are also instances of great good and faithfulness. For the faithful member of the Body of Christ would it be so difficult to believe that the Father might be sending us a cosmic reminder of what may come if we do not attempt to make encourage and build up our brothers and sisters, taking care first to make sure that we have the personal integrity not to bear false witness to the message of Christ?

We should keep our eyes fixed on Christ, pray with our Blessed Mother, and yet remain aware of other events that might give us opportunity to share what we know with others, to bring them closer to the One who is Truth.

Whether NASA is right - or wrong.

NASA officials and other space experts don't seem a bit worried that Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 is breaking into so many pieces that they are impossible to track.

“We are very well acquainted with the trajectory of Comet 73P Schwassman-Wachmann 3," said Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, in a written statement. "There is absolutely no danger to people on the ground or the inhabitants of the International Space Station, as the main body of the object and any pieces from the breakup will pass many millions of miles beyond the Earth."

And there was this:

“There are some Internet stories going around that there’s going to be an impact on May 25,” NASA spokesperson Grey Hautaluoma, told SPACE.com. “We just want to get the facts out.”

We would point out, gently, that NASA is the same agency that publicly assured us that Columbia was safe to return home from its last mission. Behind the scenes there was much concern, and even warnings from certain quarters, that the mission, and the lives of the astronauts aboard the shuttle, were in jeopardy.

This raises the question: even if NASA knew there was a problem with some pieces of the fractured comet, would anyone actually admit it? Of course the odds are overwhelming that no part of the comet will encounter Earth, but the odds are not zero, and here’s the common sense reason why.

Astronomers and professional comet trackers tell us there is a possibility of “shooting stars” in the night sky after the passage of the comet. This would be from comet debris. If there is comet debris, then it is not impossible that it could include some larger pieces. It does not take much of a piece of a comet to make a big splash upon entry into the atmosphere.

And a big splash is exactly what a few Catholic saints have privately prophesied.

St. Hildegard (1098-1179 A.D.) in one of her many visions of future events, saw a comet falling into the sea. Desmond A. Birch, author of “Trial, Tribulation & Triumph,” published in 1996 by Tan Books, examines Catholic prophecies and concludes that while we are not yet in the “Last Days” we could be very close to what is generally known as the “Minor Chastisement.” This is a recurring theme not only in private Catholic prophecy but also in the messages allegedly given to various seers from Mary.

Birch quotes St. Hildegard:

“Before the comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scourged by want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent will be devastated by earthquake, storms and tidal wave. It will be divided and, in great part, submerged. This nation will also have many misfortunes at sea and lose its colonies.”

Birch states that “most serious students of the prophecies consider the reference to a “great nation” to be a reference to England - if the prophecy is generally about our times.” We also might add that if you substituted military bases and protectorate nations for the word "colonies," it might easily refer to the United States as well. The prophecy continues:

“By its tremendous pressure the comet will force much of the ocean and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. All coastal cities will live in fear, and many of them will be destroyed by tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed, and even those who escape will die from horrible diseases.”

“For in none of those cities does a person live according to the laws of God. …”

Birch concludes that this prophecy from St. Hildegard is a conditional prophecy; that is to say, it will come to pass, or not, depending upon the behavior of people in reaction to knowing of the prophecy and their response to God’s call to repentance and conversion. Conditional prophecies can be ameliorated, or deferred to a later time, based upon the response of those who hear the prophecies and recognize their validity. This is similar to the way in which God deferred punishment on Nineveh after its king and people responded positively to the warnings from the reluctant prophet Jonah.