Feastday not known
Born 1613
Died
1658
Parish priest, ecclesiastical writer, and
founder of a religious community. Born at Laugna in the Diocese of Augsburg,
Bavaria. He was one of eleven children of Leonard and Catherine Holzhauser –
poor, pious, and honest people. His father plied the trade of shoemaker and was
barely able to support his family. Young Bartholomew developed a great love of
books and an earnest desire to enter the Sacred Ministry. At Augsburg he was
admitted to a fee school for poor boys, arning his living by singing at the
doors and begging. He fell sick of an epidemic then raging and after his
recovery went home and helped his father at work. Then with the aid of kind
friends and especially of the Jesuits, he continued his studies at Neuburg and
Ingolstadt. He received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, then studied
theology, in which he merited the baccalaureate on 11 th May 1639. He was
ordained priest by the Bishop of
Eichstatt, and said his first Mass on Pentecost Sunday 12th June 1639. Many
wonderful things are related of him, extraordinary cures and the like. Lately a
petition has been drawn up at Rome for his canonization.
THE FIFTH AGE
"The fifth period of the Church, which
began circa 1520, will end with the arrival of the holy Pope and of the
powerful Monarch who is called "Help From God" because he will
restore everything.
The
fifth period is one of affliction, desolation, humiliation, and poverty for the
Church. Jesus Christ will purify His people through cruel wars, famines,
plagues, epidemics, and other horrible calamities. He will also afflict and
weaken the Latin Church with many heresies. It is a period of defections,
calamities and exterminations. Those Christians who survive the sword, plague
and famines, will be few on earth. Nations will fight against nations and will
be desolated by internecine dissensions. Are we not to fear during this period
that the Mohamedans will come again working out their sinister schemes against
the Latin church
"During
this period, many men will abuse of the freedom of conscience conceded to them.
It is of such men that Jude the Apostle spoke when he said, "These men blaspheme
whatever they do not understand; and they corrupt whatever they know naturally
as irrational animals do. They feast together without restraint, feeding
themselves, grumbling murmurers, walking according to their lusts; their mouth
speaketh proud things, they admire people for the sake of gain; they bring
about division, sensual men, having not the spirit.'" They will ridicule
Christian simplicity; they will call it folly and nonsense, but they will have
the highest regard for advanced knowledge, and for the skill by which the
axioms of law, the precepts of morality, the Holy Canons and religious dogmas
are clouded by senseless questions and elaborate arguments. "These are the
evil times, a century full of dangers and calamities. Heresy is everywhere, and
the followers of heresy are in power almost everywhere. but God will permit a
great evil against His Church: Heretics and tyrants will come suddenly and
unexpectedly; they will break into the Church. They will enter Italy and lay
Rome waste; they will burn down churches and destroy everything."...
"Antichrist and his army will conquer Rome, kill the Pope and take the
throne."
"During this period the Wisdom of God
guides the Church in. several ways: 1) by chastising the Church so that riches
may not corrupt. her completely; 2) by interposing the Council of Trent like a
light in the. darkness, so that the Christians who see the light may know what
to. believe, 3) by setting St. Ignatius and his Society in opposition to
Luther. and other heretics; 4) by carrying to remote lands the Faith which has.
been banned in most of Europe.
"During this unhappy period, there will be laxity in divine
and. human precepts. Discipline will suffer. The Holy Canons will be.
completely disregarded, and the Clergy will not respect the laws of the.
Church. Everyone will be carried away and led to believe and to do what. he
fancies, according to the manner of the flesh.
"They will ridicule Christian
simplicity; they will call it folly and. nonsense, but they will have the highest
regard for advanced knowledge,. and for the skill by which the axioms of the
law, the precepts of. morality, the Holy Canons and religious dogmas are
clouded by. senseless questions and elaborate arguments. As a result, no
principle at. all, however holy, authentic, ancient, and certain it may be,
will remain. free of censure, criticism, false interpretation, modification,
and. delimitation by man.
"These are evil times, a century full
of dangers and calamities.. Heresy is everywhere, and the followers of heresy
are in power almost. everywhere. Bishops, prelates, and priests say that they
are doing their. duty, that they are vigilant, and that they live as befits
their state in life.. In like manner, therefore, they all seek excuses. But God
will permit a. great evil against His Church: Heretics and tyrants will come
suddenly. and unexpectedly; they will break into the Church while bishops,.
prelates and priests are asleep. They will enter Italy and lay Rome waste;.
they will burn down the churches and destroy everything."
"[After a world war] will come a new
period, in which two mighty ones will face each other. The wrangle between
these two will begin in the second half of the twentieth century. It will
overthrow mountains and silt up rivers. A great change will come to pass, such
as no mortal man will have expected; Heaven and Hell will confront each other
in this struggle, old states will perish and light and darkness will be pitted
against each other with swords, but it will be swords of a different fashion.
With these swords it will be possible to cut up the skies and split the earth.
A great lament will come over all mankind and only a small batch will survive
the storm, the pestilence and the horror. And neither of the two adversaries
will conquer nor be vanquished. Both mighty ones will lie on the ground, and a
new mankind will come into existence. God possesses the key to everything.
Blessed is he who will then be able to praise him, having obeyed all his
commandments. And the great monarch of the world will create new laws for the
new mankind and will cause a new age to begin, in which there will be only one
flock and one shepherd, and peace will be of long, long duration, for the glory
of God in heaven and on earth...
"When everything has been ruined by
war; when Catholics are hard pressed by traitorous co-religionists and
heretics; when the Church and her servants are denied their rights, the
monarchies have been abolished and their rulers murdered... Then the Hand of
Almighty God will work a marvelous change, something apparently impossible
according to human understanding. There will rise a valiant monarch anointed by
God. He will be a Catholic, a descendant of Louis IX, yet a descendant of an
ancient imperial German family, born in exile. He will rule supreme in temporal
matters. The Pope will rule supreme in spiritual matters at the same time.
Persecution will cease and justice shall rule. Religion seems to be suppressed,
but by the changes of entire kingdoms it will be made more firm. "He will
root out false doctrines and destroy the rule of Moslemism. His dominion will
extend from the East to the West. All nations will adore God their Lord
according to the Catholic teaching. There will be many wise and just men. The
people will love justice, and peace will reign over the whole earth, for divine
power will bind Satan for many years until the coming of the Son of Perdition.
"The reign of the Great Ruler may be
compared with that of Caesar Augustus who became Emperor after his victory over
his enemies, thereby giving peace to the world, also with the reign of
Constantine the Great, who was sent by God, after severe persecution, to
deliver both the Church and State.
"On account of a terrible war Germany
will wail, France will be the cause of all the woe, Germany will be terribly
wounded, all will be impoverished. England shall suffer much. The King shall be
killed.
"After desolation has reached its peak
in England, peace will be restored and England will return to the Catholic
faith with greater fervour than before.
"The Great Monarch will have the
special help of God and be unconquerable.
"The Fifth Epoch of time dates from
the reign of Charles V until the reign of the Great Monarch.
The Great Monarch will come when the Latin Church
is desolated, humiliated, and afflicted with many heresies ... The Mohammedans
will come again." (Note: "The Latin Church," which presumably,
excludes the Eastern-Rite Churches). He will pull down what has been held as
good, and raise up what has been held in contempt, acting in opposition to
present standards.)"He will restore everything." "And peace shall reign over the whole
earth."
THE SIXTH AGE
"The Sixth Age of the Spirit commences
with the powerful Monarch and the Holy Pontiff as previously mentioned and will
last until the appearance of the Antichrist. This will be an age of consolation
in which God will console His Spirit of the affliction and the great
tribulation of the preceding age. All the nations will be united in the
Catholic faith. The sacerdocy will flower more than ever, and men will seek the
kingdom of God in all solicitude. Vocations will be abundant as never before
and all men will seek only the kingdom of God and His justice . Men will live
peace and this will be granted because people will make their peace with God.
They will live under the protection of the Great Monarch and his successors.
During the fifth period we saw only
calamities and devastation, oppression of catholics by tyrants and heretics,
executions of kings and conspiracies to set up republics but by the hand of God
almighty there occurs so wonderful a change during the sixth period that no one
can humanly visualize it.
The powerful Monarch, who is sent from God, will uproot every Republic." He will submit everything to this authority and he will show great zeal for the true church of Christ. The empire of the Mohamedans will be broken up and the monarch will reign in the east as well as in the west. All nations will come to worship God in the true and catholic Roman faith. There will be many saints and doctors of the church on earth. Peace will reign over the whole earth because God will bind Satan for a number of years before the days of the Son of Perdition. No one will be abelt ot pevert the word of God since during the sixth period there will be an ecumenical council which will be the greatest of all councils. By the grace of God, by the power of the great Monarch, by the authority of the holy pontiff and by union of all the most devout princes atheism and every heresy will be banished from the earth. The council will define the true sense of Holy Scripture and this will be beloved and accepted by everyone.
"The Lord will give good pastors to
the Church. Men will live in peace, each in his own field. They will be
reconciled with the one God. They will live in the shadow of the powerful
Monarch and of his successors.
"Many saints and doctors will flourish
in the earth. Men will love reason and justice. Peace will reign in all the
universe, because the divine power will bind Satan for many years, until the
son of perdition will rave anew.
"The Sixth Epoch of the World, which
commences with the emancipation of the people of Israel and the restoration of
the Temple and of the city of Jerusalem, will endure until the advent of Jesus
Christ.
"For likewise, in this epoch, the
people of Israel will be consoled to a very high degree by the Lord, our God,
who will deliver them from the captivity of Babylon. The kingdoms, the nations,
and the people will submit to the Roman Empire, furiously vanquished by the
very powerful and very illustrious monarch who will govern during fifty-six
years, rendering the peace of the universe and reigning alone until the advent
of Jesus Christand even after him. Thus, in the Sixth Age, God will delight his
Church with the greatest prosperity.
"For, although, in the Fifth Age, we
saw everywhere the most deplorable calamities: whereas all is devastated by
war; that the Church and its members are rendered tributaries; that the
subjects are tormented and that all men conspire to erect republics: man
himself will be so astonishingly changed by the hand of God, such that no one
can imagine humanity. For the powerful monarch, who will come like an envoy of
God, will destroy the republics thoroughly in climax; he will subdue all to his
will and will employ his zeal in favor of the true Church of Christ. All the
heresies will be relegated to hell. The empire of the Turks will be broken and
this monarch will reign in the orient and in the occident. All the nations will
come and adore the Lord their God in the true Catholic and Roman faith.
"Now the Great Monarch also will
dominate over all the beasts of the earth, that is to say over the barbarian
nations, over the rebellious peoples, over the heretic republics and over all
men dominated by their evil passions.
"It is in that age that the relation
of the sixth Spirit of the Lord will be known, that is to say the Spirit of
Wisdom that God diffuses over all the surfaces of the globes in those times.
For men will fear the Lord their God, they will observe the law and serve it
with all their heart. The sciences will be multiplied and complete on the
earth. The Holy Scriptures will be unanimously understood, without controversy
and without the errors of heresies. Men will be enlightened, so much as in the
natural sciences and in the celestial sciences.
"Finally, the Sixth Church, the Church
of Philadelphia, is the type of this sixth age, for Philadelphia signifies
friendship of brothers, and again guarding the heritage in union with the Lord.
Now all these characters convene perfectly in the sixth age, in which they will
have love, concord and perfect peace and in which the powerful Monarch will
have to consider almost the entire world as his heritage. He will deliver up
the earth, with the aid of the Lord his God from all his enemies, of ruin and
of all evil."
ANTICHRIST
Antichrist will come as the Messiah from a
land between two seas in the East. He will be born in the desert; his mother
being a prostitute to the Jews and Hindus; he will be a lying and false prophet
and will try to ride to heaven like Elias.
He will begin work in the East, as a soldier and preacher of religion
when thirty years old. Antichrist and his army will conquer Rome, kill the Pope
and take the throne. He will restore the Turkish regime destroyed by the Great
Monarch. The Jews, knowing from the
Bible that Jerusalem will be the seat of the Messiah, will come from everywhere
and accept Antichrist as the Messiah. He will be able to fly. His flight will take place from Mt.
Calvary. He will tell the crowd he is
going after Henoch and Elias (who has arisen from the dead) in order to kill
them again.